Celebrating International Day of Yoga 2016 at renovated Duraiappah Stadium in Jaffna

The High Commission of India has announced the completion of renovation of the famous Duraiappah Stadium in Jaffna. To commemorate this special occasion, Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi will join, through digital video conferencing, President of Sri Lanka Maithripala Sirisena, at the renovated Duraiappah Stadium on 18 June to dedicate it to the people of Sri Lanka. The International Day of Yoga 2016 will also be celebrated on the occasion, with the participation of thousands of Jaffna residents.

The stadium, named in honour of a former Mayor of Jaffna, the Late Alfred Thambirajah Duraiappah, has been renovated by the Government of India at a cost of Rs. 145 million. The renovated stadium will benefit about 50,000 students from different schools and educational institutions in the Northern Province by providing modern infrastructure for sports and recreational activities. It will also encourage the overall development of youth of the Northern Province and in Sri Lanka at large. This project is part of the highly successful development partnership between India and Sri Lanka.

Yoga is a part of the shared cultural heritage of India and Sri Lanka. Following the declaration of 21 June as the International Day of Yoga by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2014, the first International Day of Yoga was celebrated with great fanfare in Sri Lanka in 2015. The dedication of Duriappah Stadium is a befitting occasion to organise a mega yoga event to celebrate the second International Day of Yoga. Numerous other yoga events are being organised across Sri Lanka by the High Commission of India in Colombo and by Assistant High Commission in Kandy and the Consulate General of India in Hambantota.