Sri Lankan athletes are set to benefit from using facilities at the Aspire Academy in Doha ©Getty Images

Sri Lankan athletes are set to benefit from training programmes at the Aspire Zone in Doha as the country seeks to boost its medal prospects at the Olympic Games.

National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOCSL) President Suresh Subramaniam revealed he has made a request to officials in Qatar to enable athletes to use the high-performance facilities following a visit earlier this month for the World Beach Games and Association of National Olympic Committees General Assembly. 

The Aspire Academy was built in 2004 and includes the Aspire Dome, the world's largest indoor multi-purpose venue of its kind.

The complex also includes Aspetar, the state-of-the-art specialised orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital.

NOCSL has become the latest National Olympic Committee to express an interest in using the facilities.

New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) President Mike Stanley toured the facilities last month, while the Hellenic Olympic Committee signed an agreement with their counterparts from Qatar to enable Greek athletes to train and prepare at the complex.

Subramaniam believes using the facilities would be another boost for athletes, following the decision to establish a high-performance programme under the leadership of Olympic silver medallist Susanthika Jayasinghe.

Several National Olympic Committees visited the Aspire Academy during this month's ANOC World Beach Games ©Getty Images
Several National Olympic Committees visited the Aspire Academy during this month's ANOC World Beach Games ©Getty Images

"On seeing the modern and best facilities available in Doha and the world, I asked them whether the Sri Lankan athletes can be sent for advanced training there," Subramaniam told Sri Lankan newspaper the Sunday Observer.

"They told me to make an official request which I have done for the benefit of our athletes in the future.

"We have a set of athletes who are under this high performance programme and once the green light is given for them to go to Qatar they will be sent for advanced training there.”

Subramaniam claimed the facilities for long jump, high jump and sprint events in athletics could help to produce Sri Lankan medal winners in the future.

Sri Lanka has earned two medals at the Olympic Games.

Sri Lanka - known as Ceylon until 1972 - made its Olympic debut at London in 1948 where Duncan White won a silver medal in the 400 metres hurdles.

They did not win another medal until Sydney in 2000 when Jayasinghe finished third in the 200m.

She was later upgraded to the silver medal after America's Marion Jones, the original winner, was disqualified after admitting taking banned performance-enhancing drugs.