A Sports Icon in the Making!

Icons are not born, they are made: Through hard work, sacrifice, commitment and the right backing. SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka nurtured such an icon who has transcended boundaries and challenges to be part of a team that represents Sri Lanka in the global arena in the game of football.

Oshadi Sri Jayampathi has proven that a person’s past, no matter how despondent, doesn’t have to be a limitation or a barrier in reaching goals and aspirations. This little girl was brought into SOS Children’s Villages Piliyandala at a fledgling age of seven from a broken family unable to take care of her due to poverty and internal disputes. From early childhood she continued to show an undivided attention towards sports and consistently excelled at it. Football, to be specific has always been her passion. SOS Children’s Villages identified her interest and supported her in fostering this interest into a skill which wouldeventually help Oshadi reach the national level platform.

Although she was engaged in sports generally from early childhood, Oshadi started playing football at the age of nine, when she was in grade four. She was part of the Hermann Gmeiner School football team throughout her educational journey at this school which is located within the premises of SOS Children’s Villages Piliyandala. Oshadi was an asset to the team as her talents and skills have attributed to the school team winning several national level tournaments and bringing the trophy home. 

In 2017, Oshadi was selected to play for the Sri Lanka Army Football Team. After proving herself with pure talent and skill in this team, she was absorbed into the ‘Sri Lanka National Football Team’ in 2019, and flew on a ten day tour to Bhutan to partake in two football matches. Being a child of SOS, SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka wishes Oshadi Sri Jayampathi all the very best, and will do its best in guiding her to reach more milestones to make Sri Lanka and SOS Children’s Villages proud.