The giant’s fall from grace
Once a proud venue for hosting international sporting events, the deteriorating condition of the Sugathadasa International Stadium has raised alarming concerns among sports enthusiasts and citizens alike. While allegations of neglect have sparked widespread criticism, reports have surfaced detailing allegations of corrupt practices involving multiple companies and sports federations that have evaded payments, leading to [...]
Lions seek Test win against Proteas, eying WTC final
Sri Lanka’s record in South Africa ahead of their ninth Test series against the host nation is far from encouraging. Out of 17 matches, they have won only three, with 13 losses and a draw. All three wins were in the past decade, when TM Dilshan led the team to their first-ever Test victory in [...]
Dinara bags back-to-back ITF U-18 Singles titles
Sri Lanka’s Dinara de Silva bagged back-to-back Girls Singles title of the ITF Under-18 J30 Tennis Championship when she came out victorious in the final of the ITF U-18 Week 2 Championship played at Islamabad, Pakistan. Last week, Dinara clinched the Week 1 title and she pulled off another comfortable 2-0 win over Karolina Ligai [...]
The Lightning strikes
From the quiet village of Vidulipura to the grand Olympic stadiums, and now the hallowed halls of Sri Lanka’s Parliament, Sugath Thilakaratne, fondly known as the ‘Lightning of Vidulipura’, has made history once again. This time, not with his speed on the track but by becoming Sri Lanka’s first Olympic athlete to serve in Parliament. [...]
Loyola and Sri Sumamgala record outright wins
Loyola College, Kochichikade and Sri Sumamgala Central, Hikkaduwa recorded outright wins in the Under-19 Inter-School cricket encounters concluded yesterday. Loyala coasted to an easy 8-wicket win over S. de S. Jayasinghe Central, Dehiwala in the match played at Dehiwela while Sri Sumamgala defeated St. Mary’s College, Hambantota by 84 runs at Ambalangoda. Results: At Dehiwala: [...]
Sri Lanka settles with two bronze medals at Bahrain Series II
Sri Lanka settled in with two bronze medals at the second installment of the Bahrain International Series 2024 at the BKS Club in Manama on Saturday, as Women’s Singles player Ranithma Liyanage and Men’s Doubles pair Siyath Senaratne and Dinura Rashmika Priyankara accounted for the country’s only honours at the six-day competition by Badminton Asia. [...]
Big money as Saudi makes foray into cricket with IPL auction
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, AFP: Saudi Arabia hosts this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) player auction in a partnership between a money-spinning cricket tournament expanding its global reach and a kingdom using sports to improve its image. De facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has backed extravagant sports investments — set to culminate in Saudi [...]
Openers strike as India seize control in Perth
Perth, Australia, AFP: Yashasvi Jaiswal hit a composed unbeaten 90 and KL Rahul a stylish 62 Saturday as India built an ominous 218-run lead over Australia to take a stranglehold on the opening Test in Perth. A determined and gritty effort by both men against a world-class attack put the visitors in the driving seat [...]
Sri Lanka gears up for Asian Elite 2024
Sri Lanka will make a participation record in the international stage this year and at their next appearance a record-breaking squad of 13 members will represent the country at the ASBC Asian Elite Men and Women Boxing Championships to be held in Chiang Mai, Thailand from November 28. The Sri Lankans had a huge delegation [...]
Patterson claims National Skeet title
Shehan Patterson of Clay Target Shooting Club of Colombo (CTSCC) bounced back to unleash his full potential to clinch the NSSF National Skeet Championship 2024 held at the CTSCC Shotgun Range in Payagala. Patterson, who finished among the top three alongside top finisher Sandakelum Ranasinghe of Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) and team mate Sajeev [...]
Skill, speed and power of mighty men at ATP finals
To recreational player, ATP tennis finals will look like players performing after magic portion. This year’s final of 2024 in Turin, Italy will echo for decades to come. One salient feature of this year’s ATP finals is the thin margin that separated the eight. All eight qualified served at speed over 230kmph, most of services [...]
Spirited Akalanka Peiris in hunt for Los Angeles Olympic glory
It would be fair to say that national swimming champion Akalanka Peiris’ journey as a professional swimmer has been similar to a rollercoaster ride. Ever since making it to the national squad in 2013, the 24-year-old youngster has been able to bring glory to his motherland on numerous occasions. Despite missing out on two opportunities [...]
DC instructs NOCSL ExCo to submit objections
In response to two applications seeking the suspension of National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOCSL) Secretary General Maxwell de Silva, Colombo District Court Judge Sandun Vithana has instructed the respondents to submit their objections by December 5. The cases were filed by Upali Rajapaksha, President of the Handball Association of Sri Lanka, and A.A. [...]
72nd Nationals from December 1
Nearly 1300 shuttlers will vie for honours at the 72nd National Badminton Championship, set to be worked off between December 1 and 8 at three key venues in Colombo. Organised and conducted by Sri Lanka Badminton (SLB), the country’s core domestic badminton event will take place at the Mercantile Badminton Association (MBA) , the Otter [...]
Lyceum International School Wattala Shines at Junior John Tarbet 2024 Finals
Lyceum International School Wattala, has once again proven its athletic prowess at the Junior John Tarbet 2024 final stage, securing a remarkable set of achievements across both girls’ and boys’ categories. The girls’ teams dominated the competition with exceptional performances, earning the title of Girls Overall Champions. A standout performer, Dilni Rajapaksha, brought immense pride [...]
Young Sri Lankan shuttlers impress at Bahrain Series
Sri Lanka claimed a silver medal and a bronze medal at the Bahrain International Series 2024 in Manama, Bahrain last weekend, with shuttlers Ranithma Liyanage, Isuri Attanayake and Sithumi de Silva making the cuts. Ranithma Liyanage, competing in the Women’s Singles semi-finals, claimed Sri Lanka’s sole silver medal, while Isuri Attanayake and Sithumi de Silva [...]
Prima energises Sri Lanka’s next generation with Prima U15 Youth League 2024
Prima Group Sri Lanka partnered with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to sponsor the Under-15 Sri Lanka Youth League (SLYL) 2024, organised by Sri Lanka Cricket, under its National Pathway Programme, with the objective of identifying promising young cricketers at an early stage. The partnership was announced at a joint media conference held by Sri Lanka [...]
Bandarawela schools shine at All-Island Archery Championship
The annual All-Island Inter-School Archery Championship, organised by the Colombo Archery School (CAS), was held last weekend at the Colombo Archery Centre. A total of 120 young archers representing 23 schools from across the island. In the tournament, St. Thomas’ College, Bandarawela emerged champions in the boys’ category, winning five gold medals, while Bandarawela Kuda [...]
Gateway’s Adheesha and Imad win World and Asian Youth Scrabble titles
Four members of the Gateway College, Colombo scrabble team participated in the Asia Cup Youth Scrabble Championship held in New Delhi earlier this month. The tournament featured competition amongst some of the best youth players from several countries across Asia, and consisted of 24 games. Adheesha Dissanayake (15) emerged the overall champion, winning 19 matches [...]
Mora weightlifters shine at University Games
Moratuwa University produced a fine performance to win one gold medal and two bronze medals at the Inter-University Weightlifting Championships, held at the University of Ruhuna Indoor Stadium in Matara. The best individual performance came from their vice-captain Isuru Perera, who clinched the gold medal in the Men’s 97kg weight class while also setting a [...]