The added zest and passion for life Dian exuberates is the result of his interwoven existence with sports. He is the definitive example of character building through sport, himself an avid boxer in his collegiate years. Dian has taken his own experience and created the ideal formula to fashion champions.
Dian was the Flyweight Champion of his alma mater Royal College for four years, and was crowned the National Junior Light Flyweight Champion in 1975. His gratitude to the sport never faltering, he served as the President of the Amateur Boxing Association for a term of 5 years spanning from 2004-2009. The revival of boxing into one of the country’s premier sports occurred during Dian’s tenure as President. Anuruddha Ratnayake, the prodigy from Slimline ended a 40 year drought for Sri Lanka boxing by qualifying for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Manju Wanniarachchi eagerly accepted the baton and stunned the world soon after, winning the Gold Medal in Bantam Weight Boxing at the XIX Commonwealth Games, the Sri Lankan flag flying high with a proud yet defiant Dian Gomes in the stands, looking forward to breaking the next boundary, an Olympic Gold. He currently sits on the Finance Commission of the International Boxing Association (AIBA)
Dian is equally committed to any game that instills the spirit of sportsmanship in individuals. He is at present the Vice President of the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka and has been the Chef de Mission for several international sporting events including the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Perhaps his unique contribution is on how he lent a helping hand to greatness to the rural athlete.
Some of the remarkable athletes of Sri Lanka, and indeed household names, grew under his caring eyes at Pannala – Manju and Anuruddha in men’s boxing, Nilmini Jayasinghe and Anusha Kodituwakku in women’s boxing, Ruwini Abeymanne and Suranga Fernando in pistol shooting are some of the sportspersons nurtured by Dian. His belief in the talent of Sri Lankan youth was not second to perseverance – as he demonstrated by putting together the Slimline women’s rugby team, where a group of women from Slimline who had never seen a rugby game went on to win the women’s championships with one month’s practice, and the players going on to represent Sri Lanka at Hong Kong 6’s.
An intense motivator, Dian is always at hand to support these athletes, his total faith in them pushing them forward to achieve unimaginable glory for Sri Lanka. He is the designated ‘cutman’, resilient, confident and encouraging in the boxing ring as well as outside it.
Sri Lanka Proud: A Tribute to Champions, a book of definitive records that celebrates the achievements of 225 of Sri Lanka’s best athletes was published under Dian’s patronage. He also played a leading role in organizing the National Sporting Honours 2008, felicitating the best of Sri Lankan athletes. Dian’s guidance and encouragement has thus far paved way for over 100 athletes to reach the pinnacle of their careers, while at the same time finding supportive employment opportunities at MAS.
Dian’s time and energy has been invested in a worthy cause; boxers, cricketers, rugby players, athletes, home grown beasts, aiming to bring honour to a nation, and to their confidante, their coach, their friend.
