These words appear to resonate and are embedded in the attitude of Sri Lanka’s boxing chief, Dian Gomes, who was born three years before JFK made this iconic speech.
His relentless pursuit of seeing Sri Lanka’s boxers bring home medals eventually paid dividends in the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, in the closing year. At the same time, Anusha Kodituwakku became the first female pugilist to win a medal and two extra bronze medals from Ishan Bandara and Tiwanka Ranasinghe.
Gomes ought to be secure after completing his intention of seeing a Sri Lankan compete in the 2008 Beijing Olympics after 40 years. On the contrary, the 61-year-old antique corporate wizard is buoyed by those feats, reigniting his ardor for bringing extra glory to Sri Lanka in the ring-setting country before himself.
“To win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2022 is my goal,” declared Dian Gomes in an interview with Daily News. “It is viable in case you put that attempt.”
Pipe dream
It isn’t always a pipe dream for Gomes, who is fondly known as the ‘Godfather’ of Sri Lanka boxing, to have become involved in the fortunes of a game that is dwindling with the aid of remodeling the Boxing Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) to a dynamic corporate-driven entity with a clean imaginative and prescient.
“I assume we (BASL) have been fortunate to have some corporates sponsoring us. A&E Thread has been the primary sponsor of boxing for a decade. Brandix, MAS, and Hela have also been helping us in recent years. Hela also has to have a company impact in achieving private sponsorship, and the authorities also need to chip in a little money. The authorities authorized one or excursions for five or six boys for the Commonwealth Games, which gave us the result. So if the non-public sector, government, and the controlling frame go hand in hand, I am certain that obtaining a medal is not impossible,” stated Gomes, who became the first elected president of the BASL in 2002.
“Generally, boxing has been one of the few associations with a long-term and mid-12 months plan and a very clean succession of leadership so that midway humans don’t exchange the goalposts. When the succeeding president takes over, there may be a nice transition of leadership and pleasant converting of the baton without frightening recognition and approach. We have some senior and skilled people in the boxing association like Udeni Kiridena, Col. Hemantha Weerasinghe, Saman Gunaratne of the Police, and Cdr Perera of the Navy amazing team. Most of them have boxed at a completely extreme stage, and they recognize the sport. We additionally have some good officials who are doing extraordinarily well internationally. For a small u. S. Like Sri Lanka, I suppose we have produced some suitable officers,” said Gomes, who returned for a 2nd stint as BASL president in 2016 after serving until 2008.
“I came back at a time when boxing was taking place. They wanted me because the polished ics turned creeping in. There wasn’t a robust personality to hold the fort and to smooth up the stables. I have a fairly appropriate crew, and the officials are very dedicated. There are fewer politics,” stated Gomes, who isn’t always without his detractors.
“They can call me a dictator; however, the final year was a terrific, easy year for referees and judges. We needed to deliver four international judges for transport at the national championship. Three international and Sri Lankan judges were present for each final, so there is no interpretation of favoritism. Sri Lanka must come first now, not their agencies or man or woman goals, in any other case boxer will suffer,” he stated.
Epoch 12 months
2 became an episode of 12 months for Sri Lanka boxing and Dian Gomes, who savored fulfillment.
“After 18 years of boxing dedication, I notion I will not see a Commonwealth medal in my lifetime. Sometimes, you keep looking to get any person to the Olympic Games but can’t convey a returned medal. Then you haven’t executed. But while we got there and gained a medal after sixty-eight years, it became an incredible victory for Sri Lanka and me to be part of that attempt to bring a medal domestically in my lifetime. After 18 years of difficult paintings, reaping the outcomes became pleasant,” he beamed.
However, he lashed out at the kingdom’s investment shortage for sports in fashion and boxing. “There is no focus on the government, which means it is eager to build stadiums, essentially displaying the flpressuresser in a greater light. There is no long-term or mid-term method for every sport. You want to have a coverage frame paintings for sport. The picking of talent, the selection, and the improvement of the sport to get a medal. You can’t just educate for more than one week and assume us to win medals,” stated Gomes, aware of what it takes to climb the summit.
Commonwealth journey
“The Commonwealth journey took us almost approximately eight years. You ought to invest at least four years minimum to win a medal. So you need to begin while you select the schoolboy from the Stubbs Shield or Junior Nationals to take the child ahead,” he stated.
He lamented that Sri Lanka is one of the few countries “wherein we don’t have a psychologist schooling our boxers on how to manage mental stress or how to take expansion vitamins.”
“In some of these tours, there are more unwanted officers, kith, family members, and friends of those so-known associations going on these excursions than getting medical doctors, physiotherapists, psychologists, and crew members. Extra officials who are n, but then the video s than the unlikeness are going. They need a helping team of workers, but they would narrow off as good a deal as viable. For instance, boxing needs three human beings at the corner, but they don’t want that. They suppose we can manage with one. They don’t understand you need coaches and a cornerman at the ringside,” he said without pulling punches.
Hammering the paperwork that controls sport, he stated: “Administrative blunders have fee Sri Lanka medals now not handiest in boxing but in different sports as well. To get votes, they would send sports that no longer have a canine’s chance of winning at the Commonwealth or Asian Games. Nobody is questioning Sri Lanka first.”
Sri Lanka boxing should benefit from his elevation to the Asian Boxing Confederation (ASBC).
Personal victory
“I suppose it became a super personal victory for me to be recognized in Asia for my contribution to Sri Lanka boxing and my paintings in Women’s Commission in AIBA (global frame governing boxing). I have served in a wide variety of AIBA commissions, beginning with Finance, Marketing, Athletes, Youth, and then the Women’s Commissions,” he stated.
“For approximately 12 years, I’ve been concerned within the world body, often developing ladies’ boxing in other parts of the arena as nicely assisting them and giving strategic enter. This is the first time I contested to become a government member of the Asian body,” said Gomes, the best South Asian authentic to be elected to this 10-member committee after Jay Kowli of India.
“My reputation as a doer and my experience inside the last twenty years gave me the foothold into Asian boxing. The training programs that we would require from other countries are a great deal clean for me to attain. Getting our referees and judges skilled, doing other developmental work, and networking with different Asian nations as properly,” he said.
Dian wears various hats, including Honorary Consul General of Georgia in Sri Lanka. “It’s a very honorable function,” said Gomes, who also serves on the Nestle board.
“I am a miles extra cozy man doing a little bit of coaching and motivational lectures, and I specialize in Sri Lanka boxing,” said Gomes, who became the founder and president of the Fencing Association of Sri Lanka.
What is his greatest achievement?
“For me to take a boxer to the Olympic Games, for Anuruddha Ratnayake to be one of the high-quality inside the world. When I took him to the arena in 2008 in China, that became considered one of my proudest moments, and while three boxers gained medals this time (at Commonwealth Games), it becomes a happy moment additionally,” stated Gomes, who has no plans to retire.
“As long I am healthy and mentally in shape, I would love to contribute to boxing, but I may no longer be president because this is part of my passion, and I have been the longest-serving cornerman. Four World Championships, 4 Commonwealth Games, multiple Asian Games, and Olympics. Each time a Sri Lankan fought internationally, I was on the nook now and again, to the irritation of my relatives’ circle because I spent on my price ticket and lodge. I am there to assist them because I have experience with it. Enjoy being a boxer and enjoy being in the corner. That’s my contribution to the United States of America as properly. It’s fun for me. I don’t take it as a process, but it is more like an ardor for constructing human beings and building skills that I did within corporate global. Allowing them to achieve their goals, whether or not it is an Olympic medal or diploma, and mentoring them. That has been motivating me as well. That continues me going,” stated Gomes with a glint in his eyes, infrequently concealing his delight.
