SLPA's sports stars to be honoured

CHINTHANA WASALA

Sri Lanka Ports Authority will hold its inaugural Colours Awarding Ceremony on April 04 at the Holiday Inn Hotel from 6.00p.m. onwards. SLPA will felicitate 172 sportsmen and women along with few officials.

The SLPA Golden Anchor Award will be awarded to 15 sportsmen and women along with Colours. They represent eight sports events. In addition to those, 73 will be awarded Colours and SLPA Sports Council Special Awards.

The SLPA Sports Council award will be awarded to 72 sports personnel while 12 will be awarded SLPA Sports Council merit awards.

All those who will be felicitated and awarded colours are SLPA employees who marked their names in various sports.

SLPA has over 14000 employees, all of them involved in physical training activities and a considerable number of employees are involved in different kinds of sports.

Few gymnasiums are established inside the Ports Authority premises to keep them fit and those who directly involve with sports, are guided to take part in various sporting events in and out of the SLPA.

Except the Sri Lanka Army, Navy, Air Force and Police, SLPA is the leader in offering employment opportunities for the Sportsmen and women in the national level.

SLPA has produced some of the most outstanding sportsmen and women for the Sri Lankan arena, in athletics, carrom, billiard, cycling, netball, karate, judo and wrestling, soccer, volleyball, hockey, badminton, table tennis, elle and cricket. Sri Lanka Ports Authority hosted the SAPOG games 2008 with the participation of sportsmen and women, employees of South Asian Ports and Airports.

It was the first of its kind in the world and that feat was achieved by the SLPA according to a concept of Minister of Ports and Aviation Chamal Rajapaksa and under the coordination of Ports Development Minister Dilan Perera with SLPA Sports Club.

Acting as the skipper of a National team, representing a national team and special performances will be highly considered for colours awards.

The colours awarding ceremony will encourage both past and present sportsmen and women to carry on with their good work while felicitating them for their achievements.