Flight Sergeant Bertie Ekanayake is considered one of the finest sportsmen ever to be produced by the Royal Ceylon Air Force (RCAF). Ekanayake was an old boy of Zahira College Colombo.
He represented Ceylon in boxing from 1958 to 1964 and represented the Defence Services in rugger, boxing, basketball, and soccer. He represented RCAF in rugger, boxing, basketball, soccer, athletics, cricket and hockey.
Ekanayake was a key member of the RCAF Boxing Team which won the prestigious Xavier Roche Memorial Challenge Shield, which is presented by the ABA Ceylon to the Most Successful Boxing Club of the year in 1961.
He represented Ceylon in Boxing from 1958 to 1964. He was the flyweight champion of Sri Lanka in 1958, 1959 and 1960, featherweight champion of Sri Lanka in 1961 and 1963.
He was the featherweight champion of Pakistan in 1963, Defence Services champion in 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962 and 1964.
He was the undisputed RCAF champion from 1958 to 1963 and the only winner at the Ceylon vs Pakistan contest in Ceylon in 1961 (Pakistan won 6-1).
Ekanayake toured with the National Boxing Team to India, Thailand and Pakistan and captained the National Boxing Team at the First Asian Boxing Championship in Bangkok, Thailand in 1963.
He was selected to represent the country at the Rome Olympics in 1960. However an injury prevented him from participating.
In rugby, he excelled as a fine full back and represented the Air Force from 1959 to 1973. He represented the Defence Services from 1959 to 1962, 1965 and 1968.
He was a key member of the RCAF Team which became runners-up of the Clifford Cup in 1965. He was selected for Ceylon Trials in 1961 and 1965 and represented Colombo Clubs vs Presidents XV.
Ekanayake functioned as the Assistant Manager of the Ceylon Rugger Team in 1972. In basketball, he represented the Combined Services Team at the All-India Tournament in 1962.
Flight Sergeant Ekanayake was crowned the first winner of the prestigious ‘Varatharasa Trophy’ in 1962, which recognises the Best Sportsman of the year in the RCAF. He won the award again in 1963.
Air Commodore Padman De Costa (Former Secretary Air Force Sports Council and Defence Service Sports Board)
