Hayleys Lighting illuminates MRICS for World Cup

The inaugural match at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium (MRICS) Sooriyawewa took place last Sunday in Hambantota. Preparation for this much awaited cricketing arena was relentlessly pursued during the past months, and Hayleys Lighting partnered with Philips to provide the flood lighting system for the magnificent stadium.

Professional cricket is one of the world's biggest entertainment industries and lighting plays a huge role in enabling players to perform their best while enhancing the viewing experience of the spectators, TV viewers, and stringent lighting requirements of TV crews capturing the excitement and drama of the game.

Philips Lighting has pioneered lighting innovation in sports since the 1952 Olympics in Oslo and has been a technical partner to sports federations such as FIFA (football), ITF (Tennis), FIH (Hockey), IAAF (athletics).

This experience and the fact that Philips Lighting has implemented many lighting solutions at world renowned cricket stadiums across Australia, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, South Africa and the Middle East including the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Brisbane Cricket Ground, Adelaide Oval in Australia; Eden Gardens, Roop Singh in India; and Gaddafi and Multan in Pakistan amongst others, made them a preferred supplier for this project together with the fact that the Philips brand is represented in Sri Lanka by Hayleys, the Sri Lankan conglomerate in many diverse industries and winner of the best corporate citizen award for the fourth time.

The light masts and flood lighting of the stadium grounds has been done to comply with international ICC standards. All lamps, luminaries and control gear were supplied by Philips while the project partners were Sanken Lanka (Civil) and Fentons (Electrical).

The building of the stadium is a landmark project as this venue was built from scratch - reclaimed from the harsh environment to provide an opportunity for the people in this seemingly remote area of Hambantota to be connected to the world through a world event as the Cricket World Cup.

This also gives an opportunity for those in the area a chance to see world cricket live on their own turf, fulfilling a vision set by 'Tharunyata Hetak' and the Sri Lanka Cricket Board to foster the game at grass roots.

The flood lighting of the Hambantota stadium is yet another laurel to the long list of prestigious projects handled by Hayleys Lighting that include lighting projects such as the Bandaranaike International Airport, Central Bank, HNB Towers, Ceylinco Towers and the National Football stadium in the Maldives.