Nagalingam Ethirveerasingam

A pavilion under construction at the Jaffna Central College grounds which was named after Dr. Nagalingam Ethirveerasingam. Nagalingam Ethirveerasingam (Tamil: நாகலிங்கம் எதிர்வீரசிங்கம்; 24 August 1934 – 18 April 2024) was a Sri Lankan athlete who represented Ceylon at the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympic Games. Ethirveerasingam also participated in three Asian Games: 1954 (Manila), 1958 (Tokyo), and 1962 (Djakarta). He was a student at Jaffna Central College, where apart from his accomplishments in athletics, he was also a cricketer, a feat often overshadowed by his more notable athletic achievements. He competed for the UCLA Bruins track and field team in the high jump at the 1959 and 1960 conference championships. He was also an All-American at the 1960 NCAA track and field championships, finishing 7th.

He taught at universities in Sierra Leone, Papua New Guinea, Nigeria and Sri Lanka. He also worked for UNESCO for five years.

In later years whilst lecturing in Sierra Leone, he captained the university cricket team in the local cricket tournament and in 1973 was appointed vice captain of the national team that played against the neighbouring country of Gambia. Ethirveerasingam received a PhD and wrote several books, one being The Effect of Advance Presentation of Organizers On Complex Verbal Learning and Retention by Vocational Agriculture Students in New York State.

Ethirveerasingam died in Los Angeles on 18 April 2024, at the age of 89.