Young Parami Places 1st in Laureus Worldwide Art Competition

Laureus is an internationally renowned sporting body who actively channel the spirit of sport towards social change while celebrating sporting excellence. Their aim is to inspire hope and positive change for children around the world, using sport as a unique social vehicle. Laureus believes this brings people together and unites them. This is certainly true of Seenigama where the Laureus Sports for Good Foundation have collaborated with the FoG in administering and supporting numerous sports and sportsmen.

Kushil Gunasekera FoG's founder/chief trustee commended their initiatives, stating, "it's all about providing good facilities and exposure for hidden talents and skills to emerge for better things to begin. We need to now teach these talented sportsmen and sportswomen different skills and impart knowledge outside their respective sporting prowess with the aim of making them complete, gearing ahead for the future." One of Laureus’ aims is to inspire hope and positive change for children around the world, using sport as a unique social vehicle. Laureus believes this brings people together and unites them. Laureus has definitely been making an encouraging change in the lives of the sporting youngsters of Seenigama and the region.

In addition to their sports development initiatives, Laureus also conduct a worldwide drawing competition for the beneficiaries of their multitude of international projects, and the winner gets to have their drawing represented on 2500 special edition watches by IWC Shaffhausen, the sale of which brings in more funds for the Laureus projects. In 2009 twelve year old Sriyan Chamodh Dilshan from FoG became the winner of this competition and had the honour of having his drawing engraved on to limited edition watches that was circulated around the world.

This year, nine year old Parami Apsara has won the coveted position for herself. Parami hails from Seenigama Sri Wimala Buddhi MV and is a member of the FOG junior swimming squad and the Children’s Goodness Club and now her design is engraved into the case back of the ‘Portofino Chronograph Edition Laureus Sport for Good Foundation’, special edition watches from IWC Schaffhausen. This year, Laureus encouraged the children to depict their interpretation of the theme ‘A time to inspire’. Parami’s creation depicted a group of children with wide smiles on their faces playing outdoors. As the sun shines brightly down on them a little boy holds a trophy aloft, and the entire picture gives you a sense of joy by its enthusiasm and pure innocence.

This month, a delegation from Laureus and IWC Shaffhausen lead by Laureus ambassador and five-time Olympic gold medal winner in Rowing(1984 - 2000), Steve Redgrave. They presented Parami with a Laureus T-shirt, a laptop and a framed photo of her winning art alongside the IWC watch with the photo engraved at the back. The netball, volleyball, swimming and cricket teams at the FoG Sports Academy had also gathered to meet Sir Steve Redgrave, and he took the time to talk to them at length, describing his own beginning, his dedication to training and preparation, mental toughness, and diet. It was valuable advice for all the kids who were supremely inspired at having received such personal advice from such a towering sporting personality.

"We may not be able to prepare the future for our children, but we can at least prepare our children for the future."

~Franklin D. Roosevelt

06.12.2012