Sri Lanka issued a 70-rupee commemorative stamp on 20 October 2026 honouring athlete Ranatunge Karunananda under the title “The Courageous Loser”. The Philatelic Bureau lists it as bulletin 1103, with a print quantity of 150,000.

The vertical stamp measures 30 × 41 mm, is printed in four process colours and is arranged in sheets of 20. A first-day cover dated 20 October is also listed, priced at 170 rupees and measuring 190 × 115 mm.

Contemporary reports place the launch at the Ministry of Mass Media under Health and Mass Media Minister Nalinda Jayatissa. Karunananda became known for completing the 10,000-metre race at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics after the other runners had finished. The ceremony recognised that perseverance and his place in Sri Lanka’s sporting heritage.

Deputy Minister Kaushalya Ariyarathne, Japanese Ambassador Akio Isomata, postal officials and members of Karunananda’s family attended. The minister noted that the runner’s story had also been included in Japanese school textbooks.