Namal wants to shift Asian beach events to Mullaitivu

ASIAN YOUTH GAMES: Sri Lanka will be hosting the biggest ever sporting games with the award of Asian Youth Games in Hambantota in 2017 and this was announced by the Head of Asian Olympic Council Sheikh Ahamed Al-Fahad Al-Sabah in Colombo on June 14, 2012.

This was a culmination of a collective effort over a period of one year between the sports and tourism authorities as directed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka. Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Minister of Sports together with Namal Rajapaksa, MP, Hambantota District have been supporting the National Olympic Committee and Sri Lanka Tourism to work on Hambantota bid which had to compete with five other countries who were looking forward to hold the third Asian Youth Games.

Sri Lanka's proposal was officially presented in Kuwait to the Head of Asian Olympic Council Sheikh Ahamed Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, two weeks ago which was accepted and enabled the Head of Olympic Council of Asia to make a visit to Sri Lanka last week to make the announcement.

The games will consist of 12 disciplines of which the beach related events will be shifted to Mullaitivu says Namal Rajapaksa, MP. "Benefits of these games should be equally shared by different parts of the island although Hambantota sports city will stage the main events. The beach games will boost the tourism drive and generate more economic activities in the Eastern region when they are held in Mullaitivu.

The anticipated visitation to Mullaitivu and rest of the eastern region during the games will be an encouraging factor for potential investors who are looking for suitable locations for their developments.

The first Asian Youth Games was held in Singapore in 2009 and the second is scheduled in to be held in Nanjing, in China in 2013. Sri Lanka came ahead of Qatar, Dubai, Uzbekistan, Thailand and Indonesia to be successful in securing the third Asian Youth Games.