Eddie Gray- The Boxer Who 'Witnessed It All'
Born on this day in 1918, Eddie Gray the 'Boxing Flame' has the unique distinction of being physically present at both Olympic medal winning instances in 1948 and 2000!
How incredibly rare and lucky one must be to be able to be a first-hand witness of Sri Lanka's most iconic moments at the Olympics?
From representing Ceylon at the 1948 Olympics, to subsequently holding key positions in the Police Force and sports in general, Edward 'Eddie' Gray is a sporting legend who wore many hats throughout his career!
A Champion Boxer from Royal
Born on a day like this in 1918, he was an outstanding sportsman for Royal College who captained Rugby, Boxing and Athletics, and went on to become the Head Prefect. In a time before the Bradby Shield Encounter, the Trinity College team featured Duncan White, who would later become Ceylon's first Olympic medalist.
Having made a name for himself from the Stubbs Shield like any junior Boxer, he joined the Police Force just after leaving school and focused on Boxing, which he went on to become a Clayton Cup Lightweight Champion many times in the 40's and earned the title of 'The Boxing Flame.'
A Member of Ceylon's First Olympic Team
It was in the year 1948 when he had the honour of representing Ceylon as a Boxer in the first Olympic team, led by Duncan White, who won the Silver medal which marked a key milestone in Ceylon's sporting history.
He retired from boxing in 1950 after the Auckland Empire Games, which is now known as the Commonwealth Games. What's most interesting are the events that followed thereafter.
A Great Servant to Ceylon Police and Sports
It should also be noted that he was the first Ceylonese to become the Head of the Mounted Police Division during his period of service in the Ceylon Police till 1957. He was a firsthand witness when Ceylon's first Prime Minister Rt. Hon. D.S. Senanayake suffered from a heat stroke when the mare was blamed as the cause of death.
He served as President of the Ceylon Boxing Association, the Secretary to the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka and was the team manager in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics where Ranatunga Karanunananda was dubbed the 'Most Spirited Loser' (another landmark moment in Sri Lanka's Olympic history).
He left for Australia in 1974 and it was a huge loss for Boxing in particular as he immensely contributed towards the development of the sport and worked closely with V.A. Sugathadasa, the first Sports Minister of the Country.
However, he continued to serve as a Trustee in many sporting bodies in Australia, and was even physically present in Sydney when Susanthika Jayasinghe won Sri Lanka's second Olympic medal in 2000, making him the only person to have witnessed both medal winning moments of our country.
He passed away at the age of 85 in 2004, leaving behind a legacy in the sport and is remembered for his values when it came to playing fair, standing up for the weak and being a loyal servant to whatever body he was a part of.