Sri Lankan-American gymnast Tiana Sumanasekera has announced she will switch national allegiance to represent Sri Lanka, calling it both a proud and emotional milestone in her career after five years competing for Team USA.
In a message shared on social media and carried by NewsFirst on Sunday, Sumanasekera said she had loved gymnastics from her first day in the sport and was grateful for the opportunities the Team USA programme had given her. Representing Sri Lanka, she said, would be “an absolute dream come true” and would allow her to honour her heritage while contributing to the visibility of gymnastics in Sri Lanka and across South Asia.
“As a Sri Lankan American, my heart will always be proud to belong to both countries,” she wrote, thanking supporters who had backed her through the USA Gymnastics pathway and saying she was excited about what comes next.
The switch is a high-profile addition to a small but increasingly visible group of Sri Lankan diaspora athletes choosing the national team late in their careers. It comes against the backdrop of a broader cycle of returns and breakthroughs in Sri Lankan track-and-field — most prominently Rumesh Tharanga’s rise to world No. 2 in men’s javelin — and follows the election of Asanga Seneviratne as president of the National Olympic Committee earlier this month, which administration officials have framed as a chance to reset elite-sport pathways.
Sumanasekera did not specify her next competition under the Sri Lanka flag, and Sri Lanka Gymnastics has yet to publicly outline the federation registration process or events she will target. Any formal switch in international competition will require clearance from the International Gymnastics Federation under its eligibility rules.
