He was also promoted to the rank of Sergeant in the CES after his achievement in Gold Coast, Australia upon his return a few days ago.Sergeant Bandara has been the national champion in boxing for the past three years and also secured a Bronze medal in the SAARC games before he secured his Bronze in the Commonwealth Games - 2018.

Commander of the Army during the interaction requested Sergeant Bandara to undergo more and more training and get ready to enter the forthcoming 2020 Olympics since the Army is prepared to get him all future requirements, including overseas training, if required.

Lieutenant General Senanayake extending his warm wishes and greetings also promised to buy the Army boxing achiever a stock of most needed furniture for his house and some other incentives at the earliest as a recognition of his international achievement. Sri Lanka Army Boxing Committee, chaired by Major General Rukmal Dias who had been the live-wire behind the achievement of the Army boxer, has so far spent more than Rs 3 m for training of this talented Army boxer by providing him with training in Uzbekistan, Netherlands, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Poland and Finland with the blessings of the Commander of the Army since the year 2010.

Army Boxing Coach, Warrant Officer I Sampath Jayathilake provided all nutrients and equipment for Sergeant Bandara's sustained maintenance of his physical status and sound health with the support of the Army Boxing Committee. This was the first time the Sri Lanka Army won Bronze in an internationally-recognized event of this nature, bringing credit to the organization. Lieutenant General Senanayake also appreciated the excellent coaching, done by the Warrant Officer I Sampath Jayathilake who stimulated him to reach those heights and thanked his efforts. Major General Rukmal Dias, Chairman Army Boxing Committee, Major General Jagath Rathnayake, Colonel Commandant, CES and the boxer's Coach Warrant Officer I Sampath Jayathilake were associated with the meeting at the Army Headquarters.