National Sports Festival first stage at Dehiattakandiya
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External Affairs Manager Nestle Lanka Bandula Egodage,
handing over the sponsorship cheque of the Marathon race of
35 National Sports Festival to be held today at
Dehiaththakandiya to Minister of Sports and Public
Recreations Gamini Lokuge. Others in the picture are (from
left) B. Dahanayake Director of Sports, S. Liyanagama
Secretary to the Ministry of Sports and Public Recreations
and Derwin Perera, Assistant Director of Sports. picture by
A. Maduraweeran |
The first stage of the 35th National Sports Festival is due to
commence tomorrow at Dehiattakandiya with cycling, marathon and race
walking. All events are to start from opposite Mahaweli ground. The
women's marathon is scheduled to commence at 6.00 a.m. followed by the
men's event at 6.30 a.m. The Sports Ministry which organises the
festival has introduced an marathon event for boys and girls of
Polonnaruwa and Ampara districts.
Those events are sponsored by Nestle Lanka Ltd for the 17 successive
years, which offers many cash awards. Race walking for men and women
start at 6.30 a.m. with men covering a distance of 20 km. While the
women walk for 5 km. The marathon events will also serve as trials to
pick runners for the forthcoming South Asian games to be held in Dhaka,
Bangladesh in January 2010.
The cycling events for men and women too will be conducted on this
day with the men's event scheduled to be flagged of at 9.45 a.m.
followed by the women's race. The male riders are expected to cover a
distance of 110 km while the women riders will paddle for 40 km.
The 35th National Sports Festival will be of vital importance as
competitors from all parts of the country participating including North
East. This opportunity for sportsmen and women of the war torn area was
possible after a lapse of nearly three decades. (BP) |
