Professor Arjuna leaves SLADA with clean record

Prof. Arjuna de Silva considers the clean record the country’s athletes have maintained at the international arena during the last decade is the proof of the high standard the Sri Lanka Anti-Doping Agency (SLADA) has maintained during his tenure as the Chairman of the institution.

“There had been no positive results from tests conducted on Sri Lankan athletes at international competitions since 2011. Last was Manju Wanniarachchi’s,” said Professor de Silva who is set to leave SLADA at the end of this month.

He said this in an interview with The Island. De Silva was referring to the Commonwealth Games gold winning boxer Wanniarachchi’s positive test which resulted in him being stripped off the medal in 2010.

Asked what his institution has done to eradicate the use of banned substances by junior athletes he said introduction of anti-doping to the school syllabus was the main step taken in making awareness.

The Sri Lanka Anti-Doping Agency (SLADA) was established in 2013 under the Convention against Doping in Sport Act No. 33 to foster a clean sports environment in Sri Lanka. Under the leadership of Prof. Arjuna De Silva, who served as Chairman from its inception, the agency achieved significant milestones that have set a precedent for the Asian region.

His guidance was instrumental in SLADA’s progress, facilitating the establishment of a new headquarters and pioneering initiatives to curb sports supplement trafficking and enacting legislation to hold athlete entourages accountable. His leadership was crucial in the formation of the Legal and Enforcement Unit, which has successfully dismantled several illegal supplement trafficking operations, thereby protecting the nation’s youth from the dangers of doping.

Prof. De Silva was dedicated to fostering regional cooperation in the Asia-Oceania region to combat doping effectively. His efforts were aimed at not only ensuring a dope-free environment in Sri Lankan sports but also contributing to a global movement towards clean sport.

SLADA is committed to advancing the integrity of sports through its pioneering research initiatives. A cornerstone of this effort is the establishment of a cutting-edge research unit, made possible by the visionary leadership of Prof. Arjuna De Silva. This state-of-the-art facility is designed to support advanced research and has been instrumental in fostering collaborations between SLADA and government universities. Through Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs), students from these universities are granted access to the unit’s sophisticated resources for their research endeavors.

The involvement of Asia and Oceania in the global fight against doping is critically important, given that Asia alone represents approximately 60 percent of the world’s population and 80 percent of the global youth demographic. During Prof. De Silva’s tenure, SLADA successfully hosted two pivotal Asia-Oceania Intergovernmental Ministerial Meetings on anti-doping (the 11th and 18th meeting sessions) in Sri Lanka. These meetings served as vital platforms for knowledge exchange, sharing of experiences, and showcasing the progress made by member countries in combating doping in sport.

Prof. De Silva’s retirement from SLADA will create a significant void within the organization and the broader sports community in Sri Lanka. His leadership and contributions have been instrumental in advancing SLADA’s mission and will be deeply missed.