Sri Lanka T-Cup 2019 set for 10 May

• SriLankan Airlines steps up as main sponsor
• Event participation up by 30%
• Rs. 42.7 m in prize money on the line
  
   

By Madushka Balasuriya

Sri Lanka’s premier cycling event, the T-Cup, is set to take place from 10-12 May, in what will be its third successive year. 

Lanka Sportreizen Chairman P.T. Weerasinghe

Sri Lanka Cycle Fedaration President N Karunarathne

SriLankan Airlines Manager (Corporate Events) Gayan Peires

DIG Indika Hapugoda

The race, which is the first only one in South Asia to be sanctioned by the world cycling governing body UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale), will also see Sri Lankan Airlines step up as the main sponsors. As always the event is being organised by Lanka Sportreizen (LSR).

“LSR firmly believes that by providing the platform for such activities in Sri Lanka, the country as a whole will gain from being positioned as Recreational Activity paradise,” said LSR Chairman Tilak Weerasinghe.

“You see that in many of the world’s developed countries, cycling is among the most popular activities, irrespective of age. Bringing that culture to Sri Lanka was also at forefront of our thoughts when we conceptualised the Sri Lanka T-Cup in 2017.”

For Sri Lankan Airlines, who in the past have been minor sponsors, increasing their stake in the event was a show of confidence in Sri Lanka and the stated goals of LSR, while also enabling them to promote the event more heavily at their travel destinations.

“This time around we have come big as the presenting sponsor of the Sri Lanka T-Cup. When deciding how big we wanted to come on board, the first factor was, along with the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau, Sri Lankan Airlines is in the forefront of promoting destination Sri Lanka,” SriLankan Airlines Manager Corporate Events and Promotion Gayan Peiris said.

“The fact that the event is also the only one sanctioned by the UCI in South Asia also really made us think and take notice. Not to mention, it’s a carbon neutral event, which really ties in with what we believe in at Sri Lankan Airlines. We know we need to give something back for the carbon footprint we leave behind,” he added.

Thirteen foreign teams and five local teams will be taking part in this year’s event, a roughly 30% increase from last year, with Clubs, Regional, National, and UCI Continental Teams affiliated to UCI-registered National Federations all eligible to compete. This year some 38 foreign teams showed interest in participating but with the competition still growing only 13 were given the go ahead.

The race will get underway on 10 May at the Passi Villa Hotel in Passikudah, with teams making their way up to the hotel the day before. Day 1 will see the riders cycle to Mahiyanganaya, Day 2 will see them make their way to Kandy, before setting off to Negombo on the final leg of the race on Day 3.

LSR expects to offer Rs. 42.7 million ($ 24,235) in total prize money to be split across the best 20 riders. Approximately Rs. 22 million is expected to be spent in conducting this event.

LSR hopes, through this, to “boost further the image of Sri Lanka as a safe and secure tourist destination where people live in harmony; “to promote Sri Lanka as an ideal destination for recreational activities including cycling, which is very popular in European as well as Asian countries”; “within the next few years, to consolidate the recognition received from the UCI as an Annual Cycling Event in Sri Lanka, with the blessings of the Cycling Federation of Sri Lanka (CFSL) and the Asian Cycling Confederation (ACC)”; “to unearth the talent of Sri Lankans by providing an opportunity to ride alongside international riders.”

Pix by Chamila Karunaratne