Siri Kannangara

Early life and education Kannangara hailed from a village in Bandaragama.

He pursued his primary and secondary education at Royal College in Colombo. He excelled in numerous sports, including table tennis, basketball, and field hockey, when he was studying at Royal College. He entered medical college in 1964 and continued to be engaged in multiple sporting activities, including table tennis, basketball, and field hockey, at the University of Ceylon. He also became a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP) as well as a Fellow of the Australian College of Sports Physicians (FACSP). He was also appointed the Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Sydney. He was also invited by the International Olympic Committee to join the torch relay during the opening ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics, which was staged in Sydney.

He was appointed the first Australian Medical Officer by FIFA for its Medical Committee, and his role was aimed at providing insight and analysis on medical matters and issues pertaining to visiting Asian and Oceanian countries by teaching them various aspects of sports medicine. He was conferred with a Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia during the 2013 Queen's Birthday Honours highlighting his significant contributions to medicine, particularly in the field of sports medicine and rheumatology. He also gave medical consultation and medical guidance to some of the Sri Lankan cricketers, including former World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga and fast bowlers Chaminda Vaas and Lasith Malinga. He also treated Sri Lankans who were not athletes.

Later life Kannangara was married and had three children. he lived there for the rest of his life and died in Sydney on 7 June 2024.