Over 6,300 athletes for National Sports Festival

Anushka Withanage

Over 6,300 athletes from all nine Provinces of the country will be seen in action at the 35th National Sports Festival which will begin today at Polonnaruwa National Stadium.

The largest national sports meet in Sri Lanka, which was inaugurated in 1972, will start with a colourful opening ceremony at 10 am with President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the chief guest. Minister of Sports and Public Recreations Gamini Lokuge and Minister of Mahaweli Development Maithripala Sirisena will also be present at the opening ceremony.

The meet will conclude on Sunday, followed by a grand closing ceremony which will start at 2.30 p.m. The events will start at 7.30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

All eyes will be on Athletics which will take place at the Polonnaruwa National Stadium where 980 athletes will be seen in action while Kabaddi, Netball and Volleyball events will also take place at the same venue. Weight Lifting, Bodybuilding and Soft ball cricket will be held at the Royal M.M.V Polonnaruwa.

The Pulatisi National Education Faculty will be the location for Wrestling and Karate. The boxing bouts will take place at the Polonnaruwa Boxing ring.

Once again Nestle Lanka has come forward to sponsor this event which is expected to be held on a grand scale and this will be an open stage for sportsmen and women to give of their best to enter the international arena.

The Commonwealth Games Gold medallist Chinthana Geethal Vidanage and National Badminton Champion Renu Chandrika de Silva will light the Olympic Torch while W.M Sonali Kumari Weerasekara will take the Olympic oath.