CeyEndurance intl. triathlon series launched to fill void left by Ironman 70.3

From left: Cey Endurance Ambassador Khalid Oshman, Triathlon Club Colombo Co-Founder Denis Crassier, Sri Lanka Triathlon Secretary General Sam Wickramasinghe, Endurance Lab Co- Founder Mithun Liyanage, Divinsan (Pvt) Ltd Managing Director Dinesh Fernando, Shangri-La Colombo Director- Commercial  Sales Chris McFall - Pix by Indraratne Balasuriya

By Divya Thotawatte

In an effort to bridge the gap left by the absence of Ironman 70.3 this year, Divinsan Ltd. announced the launch of Sri Lanka’s first international and national series of triathlons which will commence this month creating opportunity for local and international participants while promoting the country’s tourism industry. 

Divinsan Ltd. Managing Director Dinesh Fernando stated: “The absence of ‘Ironman 70.3’ for 2020 has created a vacuum amongst the communities, both local and foreign. International events such as these portray the country in a positive light, aiding in renewing and opening up the country to new sports and tourism segments. As triathlons and endurance sports continue to increase in popularity around the island, CeyEndurance will act as a platform to meet the demand for a local and International arena, catering to sports and fitness enthusiasts, as well as new entrants.”

According to Fernando, Ironman 70.3 had opened up a new level of competition for Sri Lankans, and CeyEndurance was launched in order to fill the gap and create opportunities for the development of the sport and the increasing number of triathletes of the country. He said that since Ironman 70.3 had brought in a large number of tourists to Sri Lanka in the past two years, the island was now well-known by triathletes. Therefore, CeyEndurance hoped to elevate Sri Lanka to a higher global sports forum and contribute to the tourism industry.  The organisers said that CeyEndurance expects to bring over 100 tourists in the country this year. 

Sri Lanka Triathlon Secretary General Sam Wickramasinghe said, “This is a tremendous opportunity, not only for triathletes in Sri Lanka, but for the federation as well, because Divinsan is popularising the sport of triathlon. That is what Sri Lanka wants. There will be a number of races this year, and we support them and will be sanctioning events they organise. Triathlon has tremendous scope and potential in Sri Lanka as is around the world and, with our year-round good weather, we hope that there will be a lot of participants from overseas who will also tour the country and enjoy its natural beauty, as well as take part in world-class events organised by Divinsan Sports.”

Triathlon Club Colombo Director Co-Founder Denis Crassier noted that the triathlon would have a representation of men, women, children, and also disabled triathletes. Sri Lanka’s first visually-impaired triathlete to compete on an international level, completing three Ironman 70.3 and two marathons, Khalid Oshman was appointed as the ambassador of CeyEndurance 2020 Event Series. 

CeyEndurance 2020 series of triathlon events is endorsed by Sri Lanka Triathlon (SLT) in partnership with Triathlon Club Colombo, Endurance Lab and Volunteer Nation. CeyEndurance represents a brand name for a series of triathlon events held in Sri Lanka, designed to encourage individuals, teams, corporates and families to partake in the sport, catering to athletes competing in an international arena. Divinsan Ltd. is an organisation focused on promoting and organising sporting events with the objective of building communities and empowering individuals through sport. 

Pix by Indraratne Balasuriya