‘Kreedawe Mahagedara’ (House of Sports) vested in the nation

Saturday, 1 February 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Turning a new page in the history of Sri Lankan sports, the President Mahinda Rajapaksa officially declared open the new Administrative Building Complex of the Ministry of Sports, ‘Kreedawe Mahagedara’ (house of sports) early this week. Secretary Defence and Urban Development Gotabaya Rajapaksa was also present at the opening ceremony. After arriving at the venue President Rajapaksa made an inspection visit of the four storied modern facility upon unveiling the plaque. Speaking at the event the President said that sports is necessary to build harmony and unity among the citizens irrespective of race or religion. “The Government is also focusing on the newly introduced sports economy which would strengthen the national economy,” he said. Speaking

further, the President opined that creating a sports culture in the country would immensely assist in building a healthy nation. During his speech the President congratulated the sportsmen and women who had immensely contributed to flying the Sri Lankan flag high. During the event the President and Secretary Defence were honoured for their support and commitment to make this project a reality and to promote sports in the Island. The construction of the project was carried out under the close supervision of the Secretary Defence by the Urban Development Authority (UDA) in collaboration with the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau (CECB) and the Sri Lanka Army. The Rs. 400 million facility, includes a large auditorium with a seating capacity of around 350, a 40 seat mini auditorium, fully equipped office rooms with state of the art IT facilities and a modern cafeteria. The Ministry of Sports was initially established in 1967 and over the years it has seen much development to be what it is today. According to the Minister of Sports, earlier most sports facilities were confined to the Colombo District but today sports complexes and other facilities are being established all around the country including north and east.

Renowned sport stars of the 50s, 60s and 70s including athletes, boxers, tennis players, sailors and cyclists who brought fame and honour to the country in both local and international competitions were felicitated by the President during the ceremony. One of the highlights of the evening was the launching of the ‘Kelibima’ sports paper by the President. The distinguished guests include Governor of the Western Province Alawi Moulana, Senior Minister A.H.M. Fowzie, Minister of Sports Mahindananda Aluthgamage, members of the Parliament, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Jagath Jayasuriya, Commander of the Sri Lanka Army Lieutenant General Daya Ratnayake, officials of the Sports Ministry and eminent sports personalities.