Australia’s Sawan Serasinghe reflects on sports ability to unite us #StrongerTogether

Five-time Oceania men’s doubles champion (2015-19) and two-time mixed doubles champion (2017-18), Sawan Serasinghe, made his first Olympic Games appearance in Rio 2016.

It didn’t take long for Sawan to break the internet as he made headlines around the world following his fast food feast at the end of his Olympic campaign.

View this post on Instagram

Wow what a week it has been in Rio! Have to say I am disappointed about the match today. We definitely had a good chance to stretch the match to three sets toward the end of the second set but couldn't close it out. We would have loved to end our first Olympic campaign with a win against a much higher ranked pair. Although having said that, there are lots of good things to learn from the matches in the last three days playing against more experienced pairs. Can't wait to go back home to start training and keep on improving! Just want to say thanks again to everyone back home for the on going support. Definitely motivated me to fight hard on court everyday! ❤️ Now it's time to eat some junk food after months of eating clean! 😀

A post shared by Sawan Serasinghe – Badminton (@sawansera) on Aug 13, 2016 at 8:44pm PDT

Reflecting upon the iconic Games and revelling in the electric atmosphere, his favourite memory remains the opportunity to play against his favourite players on the world’s biggest stage.

“Playing against Lee Yong Dae. He’s been one of my favourite players for a very long time and I grew up watching every single one of his matches. So when we were matched up against him in the first round, I was super excited to take on the current world no:1 and my favourite player.”

“I think Matt and I played one of the best matches we’ve ever played and to do that against the world no:1s at the time was a huge achievement for us.”

Matthew Chau (left) and Sawan Serasinghe (left), Australia. Photo credit: Badminton Photo

To mark the One-Year-to-Go milestone before the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, due to be held in 2021, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is bringing together everyone who embodies the values of the Olympic Games and celebrates solidarity and unity in diversity during these difficult times #StrongerTogether

Reflecting upon the opportunity to experience these values first hand, Sawan recalls the iconic moment of walking into Rio’s opening ceremony:

“The opening ceremony was a perfect example of unity, solidarity and diversity. Being in that stadium with thousands of other athletes from around the world was such a surreal experience.”

“To know that the one thing that brought all of us together in one place was for our love for sports regardless of your background or ethnicity or anything else. And I think that’s what the Olympic Games is really about.”

Join the celebrations by telling us about your favourite Olympic memories which champion solidarity and unity in diversity using the hashtag #StrongerTogether

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