Sports
Indian Cultural Association (ICA) to stage International Half Marathon in Colombo
The Indian Cultural Association (ICA) has come forward to stage an International Half-Marathon. ICA announced that the event which aims to position Sri Lanka as a prime destination for both leisure and sporting events, attracting attention from around the world, will kick off from Galle Face Green on September 1.
ICA aims at registering over 1400 athletes from multiple countries for the event.
The marathon will allow the ICA to fund their CSR initiatives including self-pledging of organ donation, helping orphanages and planting Na Trees, in local schools, symbolising a green footprint from each of the race participants.
Captain, Anirban Banerjee, President of the ICA, expressed the association’s commitment to making this event a success: “Our goal with the ICA’s 1st International Half-Marathon is to establish the country as a viable destination for sports tourism and outdoor recreation, while encouraging Sri Lankans to get more involved in physically challenging activities.
We were delighted with the response we received from locals as well as foreign participants, most of whom are travelling to our sunny shores for the first time. The team is working tirelessly to ensure that all participants have a great marathon experience while enjoying true Sri Lankan hospitality.”
The marathon route, starting and ending at Galle Face Green, will take participants through some of Colombo’s most picturesque locations, including Marine Drive and Galle Road, offering runners stunning views of the city and coastline. Race Categories include a Half Marathon (21.0975 km), Challengers Run (10 km) and a Family Run (5 km). The event is not just about competition; it’s about promoting health, unity, community support, and sustainable tourism. As this would be an event of generation of funds we foresee a revenue accumulation of USD 5 million and more in the years to come which shall be used for various CSR activities.
Smita Pandit Chakraborty, CEO of Continental Sri Lanka mentioned “ICA has embarked on a unique program for a half marathon with a social cause for the first time in Sri Lanka. Continental has been part of Sri Lanka/Kalutara for several years. In line with our long tradition in Sri Lanka and our connection with the people and communities, our sponsorship came naturally. The marathon is corresponding with our core values at Continental #PassiontoWin and #ForOneAnother. We encourage all participants and members for the run and also for their engagement in the sustainability initiatives.”
Jayadratha Das, Vice President ICA, speaking of the prizes added, ” We hope the prize money for the ICA International Half-Marathon will be a motivating factor for more participants to register, as the top three male and female finishers will be awarded substantial prize money and trophies. Our top finishers male and female will receive: 1st Place: Rs. 1,000,000; 2nd Place: Rs. 500,000; 3rd Place: Rs. 200,000 and many consolation prizes. All participants will receive a medal and certificate endorsed by supporting organisations.
Ganuka Fernando accomplished a rare feat reaching the final of the Nepal J30 ITF tournament in Pokohora. He became the first Sri Lankan male player in more than a decade to reach an overseas final at the tournament held in Nepal.
The St. Peter’s College Bambalapitiya player finished as the runner up.
He is the first to reach an overseas ITF final after Sharmal Dissanayake accomplished the feat in 2013.
Sharmal has the credit of winning ITF tournaments in India and in Brunei. He also reached another final in India.
After nearly three months of competition, the 33rd Mercantile Services Basketball League concluded with Seylan Bank being crowned as undisputed champions. The defending champions showcased their dominance with an unbeaten record cruising past all their opponents.
Seylan Bank started off the campaign by beating Hatton National Bank in a three point thriller with the final score being 58-55. They overcame Commercial Credit 59-47 and had a big win over David Pieris Motor Company 73-59.
In the semi-final, Seylan Bank overcame Commercial Credit by 13 points while the final was a rematch against David Pieris Motor Company and won comfortably by Seylan.
Epciba Washington Clay of Seylan was named the Most Valuable Player.
The Seylan Bank side comprised; Kamalene Mills, Kunchana Wijesiriwardena, Kindu Jayaliya, Benika Thalagala, Epciba Washington Clay, Hansini Maleesha, Nihari Perera, Sanduni Bollegala, Maleka Rafaideen, Bethani Liyanage and Malavika Ariyaratne.
The Seylan Bank team was coached by Chathura Rodrigo.
New Zealand’s bowling spearhead Matt Henry (calf strain), seam-bowling allrounder Nathan Smith (side strain) and spin-bowling allrounder Mitchell Santner (groin injury) have all been ruled out of the rest of the home Test series against West Indies.
Glenn Phillips, who joined the squad in Christchurch early as a substitute fielder, has officially been added to the Test squad for the remainder of the series, New Zealand Cricket confirmed. This after he proved his match fitness in the Plunket Shield before joining the squad for the first Test, and he could be in contention to be selected in the XI for the second Test.
In another bit of good news for New Zealand, Daryl Mitchell, who put in a long shift as a substitute fielder in the first Test, is set to be available for the second and slot back in as their middle-order mainstay.
Wicketkeeper-batter Tom Blundell had already been sidelined from the second Test in Wellington after suffering a hamstring injury while batting on day one in Christchurch. Mitchell Hay has been added to the squad and could make his Test debut.
Also, a day after uncapped seamer Michael Rae was called up to the Test squad, Kristan Clarke, a seam-bowling allrounder from Northern Districts, was added to it. With Kyle Jamieson and Will O’Rourke managing “return to play” protocols, New Zealand were left scrambling for last-minute replacements, with the Wellington Test set to begin on November 10.
Both Rae and Clarke were pulled out of the third round of the Plunket Shield. Clarke didn’t bowl for ND in the final innings against Otago in Hamilton, with rookie James Naylor stepping in as his replacement.
Clarke, 24, is uncapped in Test cricket, but was recently part of the ODI series against England as a replacement player after Henry had suffered a separate calf injury. He has now earned his maiden Test call-up as a like-for-like replacement for Smith.
“On the cricket field, I’m a bowling allrounder, you know, and I pride myself on trying to offer as much as I can in the game,” Clarke said in October after breaking into the ODI side. “I just want to be a good person around the group also and just offer as much as I can.”
Clarke has played 27 first-class games so far, taking 77 wickets at an average of 33 and scoring 893 runs at an average of 23.50. He was also part of a New Zealand A tour to Bangladesh during the winter. Though bowling is his primary skill, Kristian is also a capable batter and had notched up his maiden century in senior cricket, against Central Districts in the one-day Ford Trophy, in October.
Clarke hails from Te Awamutu, a small town in the Waikato region and played for Waikato Valley in the Hawke Cup before rising up the ranks in New Zealand cricket. His brother Matti Clarke has also played for Waikato Valley in the Hawke Cup.
“Yeah, so [I was] born and raised in Te Awamutu, [and I] still live in Te Awamutu, still at home,” Clarke said. “I hold Te Amuru very dear to my heart – it’s a cool little town and yeah, quiet little place. Just sort of grew up through the cricket system there and then yeah, sort of just went from there.”
While Blair Tickner, who was the reserve seamer at Hagley Oval, comes into the selection frame for Wellington, there might be a toss-up between Rae and Clarke for a potential Test debut at Basin Reserve.
The first Test was drawn after West Indies, faced with a 530-run deficit in the fourth innings, held on for 163.3 overs to pull off a draw, with Justin Greaves (202 not out) and Shai Hope (140) their main men with the bat
New Zealand squad for second Test vs West Indies :
Tom Latham (capt), Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay (wk), Michael Bracewell, Zak Foulkes, Jacob Duffy, Blair Tickner, Michael Rae, Kristian Clarke
[Cricinfo]
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