Tuesday Jul 14, 2026
Tuesday Jul 14, 2026
Tuesday, 14 July 2026 06:05 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
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Prof. Sampath Amaratunge
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University Grants Commission (UGC) former Chairman and University of Sri Jayewardenepura former Vice Chancellor Professor Sampath Amaratunge has been invited to serve as an “Academic Guardian of Olympic Values” under the international Ethos Universitas framework and has subsequently received his official Certificate of Appointment. Professor Amaratunge, a distinguished Sri Lankan academic, presently serves as Deputy President and Deputy CEO of CINEC Campus, a leading non-State higher education institution in Sri Lanka.
The distinction recognises eminent academic leaders whose service to higher education reflects values associated with ethics, integrity, responsible leadership and good governance. Although inspired by the Olympic tradition, the recognition is not connected to sporting achievement. Instead, it seeks to promote the broader humanistic and ethical ideals of Olympism within universities and academic institutions across the world.
Ethos Universitas functions under the academic committee of Panathlon International, an organisation founded in Venice in 1951 and recognised by the International Olympic Committee since 1982. The initiative presently connects nearly 200 universities and academic institutions in more than seventy countries.
The recognition highlights the growing international emphasis on ethics and value-based leadership in higher education. It also demonstrates how Olympic values such as excellence, fairness, respect, integrity and social responsibility are increasingly being interpreted beyond the field of sport and applied within academic and institutional contexts worldwide.
Professor Amaratunge has previously received several prestigious national and international honours in recognition of his distinguished contributions to higher education and public service. In 2021, he was conferred The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon by His Majesty the Emperor of Japan which is the highest honours ordinarily conferred upon foreign nationals in recognition of outstanding contributions to promoting relations with Japan.
More recently, in 2026, he was awarded the honorary title Sri Sumangala Vidyawathansa by the Vidyodaya Pirivena, in recognition of his exceptional and sustained contributions to Sri Lanka in the field of national service. Earlier, in 2018, Vidyodaya Pirivena conferred on him the honorary title Vidyodaya Dharma Shasthra Vibhushanaa in recognition of his distinguished service to education and society.
