It will be a red letter day in Sri Lanka's sports history when the President of the World Athletic governing body Lamine Diack arrives in Colombo tomorrow on a three-day official visit. This will be the first time that a world athletic chief will be visiting Sri Lanka and it will be a great honour for Sri Lanka and a boost for local track and field. During his stay in Sri Lanka, the President of the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) will meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa and several other officials, coaches and athletes.
President of the Athletic Association of Sri Lanka (AASL) Major General Palitha Fernando said it will be a great honour for Sri Lanka athletics to host the world President who is due to arrive in Colombo tonight. "It will be a big boost for local athletics and an inspiration for our athletes," he said.
IAAF President Diack is due to meet President Rajapaksa at Temple Trees at 12.30 p.m. on Monday before flying to Diyagama to visit Sri Lanka's newest athletic stadium. The brainchild of AASL chief Fernando, the Rs. 500-million mega project would give Sri Lanka only its second international stadium with a world class track.