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The 14th Asian Athletic Championships will be the biggest-ever sporting event to be held in Sri Lanka. Nearly 1,000 athletes and officials from 44 countries will be at the Colombo Sugathadasa Stadium from 9-12 August for one of the most important track & field championships in Asia. The participation of several renowned Olympic Gold, Silver & Bronze medallists will add excitement and guarantee world-class performances.

"This is a prestigious event of great national importance," says Johnston Fernando, the Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports. "It will focus the attention of the whole of Asia on Sri Lanka. We will have a golden opportunity to build a strong international image as a beautiful and peaceful country with friendly people who love sports."

Over a thousand athletes, officials & journalists from Asia

In addition to athletes and officials from the 44 participating countries about a hundred foreign journalists will be in Sri Lanka for the Championship. Foreign delegates will also attend the Council and Congress meetings of the Asian Amateur Athletic Association that will be held the day before the start of the Championship. Signifying a further development in the field, we shall also witness the inauguration of the Asian Athletic Coaches Foundation, with trainers from all countries participating, on the preceding day. All these visitors will have a chance to get first-hand experience of our march towards peace, and enjoy our legendary hospitality.

"We will ensure that every foreign athlete, official and journalist takes back wonderful memories of the Championship and their stay in Sri Lanka" says Sunil Jayaweera, President of the Amateur Athletic Association of Sri Lanka. "We are making every effort to organise the Championship to international standards, and give the red-carpet treatment to all foreign guests," he adds

Launching the official website - www.asianathletics2002.com

Today, Johnston Fernando will inaugurate the official website of the Championship. It will provide a wealth of up-to-date information for foreign visitors, participating athletes, sports enthusiasts and school children who wish to participate in the essay competition associated with the Championship.

The website www.asianathletics2002.com will cover the history of the Asian Athletics Championship, organisational details of the event in Colombo, profiles of participating athletes, information for foreign visitors, the event schedule, results etc. It is designed by 141 Integrated Communications powered by Dialog GSM, and launched by the Amateur Athletic Association of Sri Lanka.

Launching the promotional campaign

A media campaign to create awareness and generate interest in this important athletics event will be launched on 5th June. It will build up to August to maximise interest and attendance, and use a combination of press. TV, radio and outdoor advertising to address the general public, schoolchildren, sports enthusiasts, prospective commercial sponsors, etc.

The Championship also gives commercial organisations a valuable opportunity to obtain sponsorships and rights related to their areas of business, thereby providing much-needed financial support to make the Championship a resounding success. Different sponsorship packages cater to different commercial requirements.

Major sponsorships have already been confirmed by Dialog GSM as the Sri Lanka Team Sponsor and Official Website Host, ANCL as the Print Media Sponsor, MindHead as the Official Souvenir Publisher, Adidas as the Official Clothier and Footwear Provider, and Hyposport as the Official Energy Drink, with Galadari Hotel and Hotel Lanka Oberoi among the Official Host Hotels and Odel and M&E Group providing Promotional Support sponsorships.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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