National Sport Festival on a big scale in Beliatta

By Leslie Fernando

SPORT FESTIVAL: At the 33rd National Sports Festival to be held from September 14 to 16 at D. R. Rajapaksa at the Beliatta Stadium, 50 sports officers who have been involved and completed 25 years on official capacities will be re-warded with gold medals. This is the promise by the Ministry of Sports.

This is the first time that the Sports Ministry is taking steps to felicitate officials at a National Sports Festival, who have worked with dedication and devotion for the uplift of sports, said Derwin Perera, Deputy Director of Sports.

In addition, all winners in respective events will be awarded cash prizes amounting to rupees two million. Awarding cash to winners will be the special feature of the festival according to Derwin Perera.

Ten days ahead of the National Sports Festival, the Games Torch will be carried on the streets - around the main D. R. Rajapaksa Stadium at Beliatta from Kataragama Pooja Boomiya, from Ambilipitiya Town and also from Beruwala Bridge. For a day torch bearers will carry the torch for five kilometres. In view of the National Sports Festival, a commemorative stamp will also be issued, according to Bandula Basnayake, Chairman of the National Sports Festival Organising Committee.

This year's National Sports Festival will add more colour and Basnayake hopes to make it the grandest National Sports Festival ever to be staged. The construction work and getting other facilities in order at the D. R. Rajapaksa Stadium are on and will be completed shortly. Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Prime Minister will declare open the National Sports Festival on September 14. President, Mahinda Rajapaksa will grace the occasion at the closing ceremony on September 16.