Inaugural Kids Athletic C’ships on May 8

Reigning world pole vault record holder and Olympic gold medallist Sergei Bubka will make a two-day visit to Sri Lanka early next month, the Athletic Association of Sri Lanka (AASL) confirmed today.

The undisputed former Ukrainian world champion, who is due to arrive in Colombo via Singapore on May 7, will be the chief guest at the inaugural Kids Athletic Championships to be worked off at the newly constructed Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium in Diyagama, Homagama on May 8.

It will be a tremendous boost for Sri Lanka track and field to have the renowned athlete here, following the IAAF President Lamine Diak’s tour here last year. Bubka, who has shown a keen interest in promoting athletics among children, has accepted the local invitation to be the chief guest at the meet, jointly conducted by the AASL and the Ministry of Education.