Colombo, 17 September 2025 – The National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOC SL), through its Gender Equity Committee, successfully hosted “Balanced Voices, Better News”, a media awareness programme about advancing Gender Equity and Inclusion in media content on September 17, 2025, at Olympic House, Colombo 07. The initiative, conducted under the auspices of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), brought together 60 participants from the press, media, and undergraduate community to explore gender equity, inclusive reporting, and ethical practices in sports journalism.

 

The session opened with an introduction to Gender Equity from Vice President of NOC SL and Chairperson of the Gender Equity Committee, Ms. Niloo Jayatilake. Esteemed speakers included Veteran Publisher, Journalist, and General Manager of NOC SL, Mr. Lal Wickrematunge, Gender and Policy Consultant and CEO of Everystory Sri Lanka, Ms. Widya Kumarasinghe, Outreach Manager at Everystory Sri Lanka, Ms. Thadini Liyanage and Senior Sports Journalist, Mr. Navod Wijewickrama, who each brought unique perspectives on ethics, history, and best practices in the media space.

 

The programme concluded with an engaging panel discussion featuring Ms. Niloo Jayatilake, Mr. Niluka Karunaratne OLY (Chairperson of the Athletes’ Commission of NOC SL), Ms. Caryll Tozer (Chairperson of the Compliance Committee of NOC SL), Ms. Widya Kumarasinghe, Mr. Navod Wijewickrama, and Mr. Lal Wickrematunge. Their dialogue highlighted the responsibility of media professionals in shaping balanced narratives around gender and sport.

 

The event was further strengthened by the presence of senior leadership including Secretary General of NOC SL, Mr. Rifdy Fahmy, Treasurer of NOC SL and Chairperson of the Education Committee of NOC SL, Mr. Prithiviraj Perera, and Executive Board Member of NOC SL, Snr. DIG Sajeev Chandana Medawatta.

 

The National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka extends its sincere appreciation to the Olympic Council of Asia for funding this initiative, and to all speakers and participants for their invaluable contributions to its success.

 

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