In ancient Athens, the winners in Olympic events did not receive gold medals like they do in the Olympic hold today. They were crowned with a wreath of laurel leaves. When they returned home, these winners were received with great joy by the people of the states they represented. They were considered heroes and were held in great honour, and the state looked after their welfare for the rest of their lives.

Modern day Olympic winners, too, are held in high regard by the countries they represent. They become heroes of sporting fans irrespective of their color, creed or race. They are showered with honour and sometimes with material rewards, in recognition of their achievements.

Sri Lanka boasts of two Olympic winners so far. Duncan White was the first Sri Lankan to win a medal at the Olympics. He won a Silver medal in 400 meter hurdles event in Olympic in London in 1948. Susanthika  Jayasinghe won a bronze medal in the Women’s 200 meter sprint event in the Olympic games held in Sydney, Australia in 2000. Both these athletes have brought fame to Sri Lanka.

A sporting event which put Sri Lanka on the world map is cricket. Captained by Arjuna Ranathunga, Sri Lanka won the cricket world cup in 1996 and proved that its team is a world class team that can offer a strong challenge to any team in the world. The 1996 World cup performance was so spectacular that Sri Lankan and cricket came to be considered inseparable.