Sri Lanka ranks 2nd at Allianz World Run, contributing towards countries in need

Monday, 25 October 2021 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Allianz Lanka once again partnered with other Allianz offices from around the world to raise much-needed funds to mitigate critical issues facing countries ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic via the Allianz World Run, an initiative that seeks to inspire Allianz team members as well as their friends and family to undertake recreational physical activity that ultimately helps tackle pressing global issues.

The Allianz World Run, this time in its sixth edition, took place throughout both the Olympic and Paralympic Games, thus motivating participants to give their best, embracing the true Olympic spirit. Held over 90 days, the program saw a total of 12,418 participants from 69 teams contribute 2,531,091 km, at an average of 203 km per participant, being active for a total of 55,080,546 minutes. Sri Lanka contributed with 975 participants running 201,423 km, an average distance of 207 km per participant for a total of 118,509 minutes, a feat that placed the island nation second in terms of participants and third in terms of km contribution.

Speaking at the conclusion of the event, Allianz Insurance Lanka Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Gany Subramaniam said: “We are very proud to maintain our standing at the Allianz World Run this year, which is a testament to the resilience and spirit of our Sri Lankan people to never back down and to keep fighting for the sake of our fellow man. Even as we grapple with our own issues and uncertainties caused by the global pandemic, I am truly amazed at the outpouring of support for this initiative and can only say thank you to everyone who participated. I humbly hope this serves as an inspiration to everyone, across the globe that with courage and determination there is no obstacle humanity cannot defeat.”

In keeping with the Olympic and Paralympic Games and bearing in mind the deadly pandemic facing the world, this year the Allianz World Run introduced a Digital Workout Challenge to ensure participant safety, whereby all runners joined the Allianz World Run community and all their active minutes contributed to Allianz World Run Charity Milestones. Participants could join any activity they chose, so long as it was tracked in the ‘Well Together’ app.

This year’s run was held under the theme ‘Moving with Purpose’ and provided humanitarian aid for three countries; namely, Colombia, where the flow of refugees from Venezuela created an additional challenge for COVID-19 relief efforts across the country; Lebanon, which is witnessing high numbers of COVID-19 infections, in addition to an economic crisis and civil unrest; and the Philippines, which is seeking to build and maintain isolation facilities to cater to suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases.