Moneragala District -Elle and Kabaddi champs

Wehelle PIYATHILAKE-Maharagama Special Correspondent

Two team games tournaments Kabaddi (Women) and Elle (Women) conducted to coincide with the 22nd National Youth Sports Festival were held at the National Youth Centre, Maharagama recently.

The 22nd National Youth Sports Festival is jointly organised by the National Youth Services Council, Youth Affairs Ministry and Sri Lanka Youth Clubs Federation annually.

Since 1980 due to terrorism of the LTTE, sportsmen and sportswomen from the North and East provinces did not participate in the National Youth Sports festivals.

The speciality of this festival is that all the districts in the North and East took part in all sports events of the 22nd National Youth Sports Festival.

Elle (Women): Twenty five Elle teams participated at the tournament and the championship title was clinched by Moneragala District team. 1st runner-up was Puttalam District team and 2nd runner-up was Gampaha District team.

Kabaddi (Women): The tournament was conducted in two divisions - "A" and "B". Moneragala and Puttalam District teams qualified for the finals. Moneragala District team clinched the Championship Title and 1st runner-up was Puttalam District team and 2nd runner-up was Gampaha District team.

The organisers had decided to hold the 22nd National Youth Sports Festival in Jaffna for the first time in the sports history of the NYSC. The winners will be rewarded and awards will be given at the 22nd National Youth Festival to be held at Duraiappah Stadium Jaffna in October.

This Sports Festival will help to build friendship and understanding between the sportsmen and sportswomen of the North and the South which was shattered by the LTTE terrorists," the Chairman and Director General Lalith Pium Perera told Daily News.