University Games commence today

The ninth University Games Festival will commence today at 3.00 p.m. at the University of Kelaniya.

This festival which is organised in the Olympic tradition is held every three years with the aim of improving the sporting skills of undergraduates, as a process of selecting undergraduates for international university sports competitions and as means of improving the friendship and co-operation among universities.

More than 5,000 participants from 13 universities will take part in this festival. There will be around 28 events under 19 different categories of sports and the events will be held at 10 different places, including the University of Kelaniya, Sugathadasa Stadium, and the sports grounds of the National Youth Centre.

The sports festival will conclude on November.

The chief guests of the festival are the Minister of Higher Education, Vishwa Warnapala, Minister of Sports, Gamini Lokuge, President of the University Grants Commission, Professor Gamini Samaranayaka, Vice Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya Professor Jayantha Wijerathne and the Vice Chancellors and Deans of all the universities. In addition to that, Directors of Sports of all the universities and the directors of the sponsoring companies are also to be present at this occasion.

University Grants Commission and Mobitel are the main sponsors of the event and the National Lotteries Board is the co-sponsor. MAS Holdings and Kodak are the sponsors of photographs and uniforms and the media sponsors are ITN, Lakhanda and Lake House.

Universities of Peradeniya, Colombo, Kelaniya, Jayewardenepura, Moratuwa and Jaffna took part in the first sports festival held in the University of Peradeniya in 1980. It was open for both males and females and around 1,200 students participated in 17 events.

All the events were held in the University of Peradeniya except for cricket and swimming which were held in Colombo. The Krusto Challenge Trophy of the first University Games was won by the University of Peradeniya and University of Colombo won the Bata Challenge Trophy.

The second University Games festival was held in the University of Colombo in 1983. University of Colombo was the winners and the University of Kelaniya was declared the runner up.

University of Kelaniya was the host of the third University Games festival held in 1986 and the University of Colombo and the University of Peradeniya won the first and the second places respectively.

University of Colombo won the trophy and the University of Peradeniya was declared the runner up in the fourth University Games held in the University of Jayewardenepura in 1992.

In the fifth University Games festival hosted by the University of Moratuwa in 1995, the championship and the runner up were won by the University of Colombo and the University of Peradeniya respectively.

The sixth Sri Lankan University Games was held in the University of Ruhuna in 1998. It was held from 16th to 29th August and the University of Colombo were the champions whilst the University of Peradeniya became the runner up.

University of Peradeniya was the host of the seventh Sri Lanka University Games. And the winners were the same as in 1998.

The eighth University Games Festival was hosted by the University of Colombo with the participation of 12 universities in 2004. The championship and the runner up were won by the University of Peradeniya and the University of Colombo respectively.