Herb Embuldeniya burst on to the amateur boxing scene in Canada in a big way in 1969.

“As an immigrant, boxing made my life easier in Manitoba because I met people and made friends that I still have today,” Embuldeniya, a native of Sri Lanka, said in a 1992 interview. “I am a product of Manitoba. It is Manitoba where my officiating career started.”

His list of achievements as a boxing judge in the provincial, national and international arenas is long. His leadership as an executive on some of the world’s most influential governing bodies in the sport and the honours he has received globally are impressive.

Boxers, trainers and others in the sport speak glowingly of his integrity, his concern for the athletes’ well-being in a game that can be physically punishing, his attention to detail and his insistence that the rules of the game be followed by all involved, including judges. In 1992, he was elected to the International Executive Committee of Boxing; the first Canadian to serve on this group.

Embuldeniya boxed at the University of Sri Lanka, winning a gold medal as a flyweight at that level. He moved to Manitoba in 1968 and by 1969, was a judge for the International Amateur Boxing Association when Canada took on the U.S. in Toronto.

Locally, he was chairman of the Pan Am 1999 Winnipeg Bid Advisory Committee that was eventually successful in securing the ‘99 Games for the city. Naturally, he became sport chair for boxing at the Games.

But Embuldeniya’s contribution to Manitoba sport extended beyond boxing. He served on the Board of Directors of the Manitoba Sports Federation. He has served as a member of countless committees honouring coaches, athletes, volunteers and children in sport. He was inducted into the Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame and named as an Honourary Life Member of the Canadian Amateur Boxing Association.