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| Friday, 12 March 2004 |
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Sports | |
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Defence Services golden year of Athletics Athletics has become the foremost sports discipline in the Defence Services and the year 2003 will undoubtedly be written as the golden year of athletics in the annals of the sports history as a result of the noteworthy performance of the Defence Services athletes throughout the year. The athletes from the Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy and Sri Lanka Air Force easily dominated the scene at national level winning the admiration of the athletic fraternity of the country. At the National Championships the athletes of the three armed forces won 21 national titles in different track and field disciplines for the first time in the 50-year history of the Defence Services. It was a superlative performance by the athletes of the Defence Forces, which incidentally has become the leading contributor of national level athletes in recent years. At the National Relay Championships the Defence Services swept the board winning all relays for men and women. The performance was unique as it was the first time in the history of Relay Carnival that the Defence Services won all the events. In the process they established six new Sri Lanka records. The Defence Services Sports Board revived the sports under the Chairmanship of the Air Force Commander with a three-day sports extravaganza in the form of a Sports Festival for the first time in the history of the Defence Services. Once again track and field was at the forefront with over 200 top-level athletes producing healthy competition. At the Defence Services 'Colours Nite' the cynosure of all eyes was once again athletics at which almost 200 athletes both male and female of the three Defence Forces were awarded colours in recognition of their feats in track and field at national and international circuits. Incidentally it was the highest number of recipients of colours in any sport in the military history of Sri Lanka. Defence Services athletes represented the country at all major international competitions - IAAF World Championships in Paris, Afro-Asian Games in Hyderabad, Asian Athletic Championships in Manila and at the Asian Grand Prix Meets in Hyderabad, Colombo, Manila and Bangkok and brought many medals, honour and glory to the country. At the World Military Games held in Catania Jani Chaturangi Silva of the Sri Lanka Air Force became the first Sri Lankan military person to secure a medal for the country when she won the bronze medal in 200 m in the 164-nation world event. Captain Shemal Fernando who spearheaded the Defence Services Athletics as the Chairman in a commendable manner with his innovative sports administration skills deserves credit for guiding the sport to glory through his love and commitment for track and field. |
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