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Friday, 24 July 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
From left: Sponsorship cheque handing over to AASL President Sugath Thilakaratne by SLT Chief Marketing Officer Ajantha Seneviratne, AASL Media Coordinator Saman Kumara, AASL Treasurer Tornado Jayasundara, AASL Secretary Sunimal Rupasinghe and SLT DGM/Corporate Relations Rohana Ellawala
Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) announced its role as the Principle Sponsor of the 94th National Athletic Championships, conducted by the Athletic Association of Sri Lanka.
As a relatively small island with modest means, it can sometimes seem like our talented Sri Lankan youth aren’t always fortunate enough to be set up with the necessary facilities to allow them to compete with the major powers from other sides of the planet.
However, adding to their history of projects focused on the development of not just our youth but our country as a whole, Sri Lanka Telecom strengthens its commitment to developing the sporting industry has a new objective set – and this time it’s all about by supporting promising Sri Lankan athletes and developing opportunities for them to hone their talents.
Held from 24 to 26 July, this year’s National Athletic Championships is estimated to have over 3,000 participants. The three day event will be held at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium in Homagama.
Ajantha Seneviratne, Chief Marketing Officer of Sri Lanka Telecom, said: “Such an honour is certainly not being taken lightly by SLT. We are keen to reinforce our commitment towards the country’s sporting activities and we also appreciate the Athletic Association of Sri Lanka for their outstanding service provided to the country’s sporting industry over the years.SLT has decided to join AASL to help local athletes reach greater heights and the sponsorship we extend, will not end with the Championship. We are impressed with the plan put forward by AASL to improve standards in the country and have pledged our support for it.”
SLT’s vision is to provide the means and training for skilled local athletes to compete and win in the international arena by ensuring that the facilities they receive are of a global standard.
Sugath Thilakaratne, President of the AASL, said: “This weekend’s 94th National Championships will be a selection ground to form a pool of 80-100 athletes for the South Asian Games which is likely to be held later this year. Forming strong pools of athletes for future international events and providing an opportunity for athletes to reach qualifying standards for the IAAF World Championships are two major concerns of the Athletics Association of Sri Lanka.
Indeed, with a partnership as powerful as this, there is certainly hope that our local talent will have a fighting chance in the international sporting arena, bringing glory to themselves, and to their country.
