Sports
97th National Boxing Championship set to commence at Galle Face Green today
History will be made when the National Boxing Championship is held outdoors at the iconic Galle Face Green. This landmark event, organised by the Tri Forces and Police and endorsed by the Sri Lanka Tourism Bureau, promises to be more than just a competition – it is a celebration of sports tourism and a bold step toward hosting international boxing events in Sri Lanka. The event will commence today.
“This championship is a significant milestone for Sri Lankan boxing,” said Anuruddha Shanaka Bandara, President of the Boxing Association of Sri Lanka (BASL). “It’s not only a showcase of our country’s boxing talent but also a launchpad for our ambitious ‘Road to LA28’ project, aimed at securing Olympic qualification and medals at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.”
Promoted as a premier sports tourism event, the Nationals serve as a dress rehearsal for BASL’s broader vision of positioning Sri Lanka as a hub for international boxing. The championship will also identify and prepare a talent pool to represent the country at the 2026 Commonwealth and Asian Games.
A Year of Achievements
The Nationals cap an eventful season for Sri Lankan boxing. The country’s pugilists shone at international competitions in Seychelles, Chinese Taipei, and Thailand, with the highlight being Sri Lanka’s participation in the Asian Elite Boxing Championships in Chiang Mai. There, Umayanga Mihiran ended a 37-year medal drought by clinching a bronze. Mihiran, who narrowly missed Paris Olympic qualification after two victories in Bangkok, will be the star attraction as he looks to further cement his legacy.
“This event is about recognising our athletes’ achievements and building on their successes,” Bandara added. “It’s a celebration of their hard work and a platform to propel them to even greater heights.”
The Championship promises intense duels across multiple divisions, with over 100 elite pugilists returning to the ring to cap a period of remarkable achievements. Clifford Cup Best Boxer and Seychelles gold medalist Suranga Fernando and Rukmal Prasanna will spearhead a formidable Army team, expected to dominate the men’s division.
Meanwhile, Air Force’s Ishara Thushari Perera, last year’s Best Boxer at the Nationals, is set to make her much-anticipated return alongside Chinthana Udayakumara, another Seychelles gold medalist.
Adding to the excitement, 20-year-old Yazmin Usaith of St Sylvester’s BC, who has remained unbeaten this season, will be eyeing his first national title and underlining his reputation as a rising star.
Also returning will be Police’s Hasitha Jinadasa, the Best Boxer at the Layton Cup.
Navy are also expected to make a strong challenge having undergone a special training session in Trincomalee ahead of the Championship.
The women’s division is equally competitive, with Air Force’s seasoned pugilist and multiple national champion Sajeewani Cooray leading the charge along with Nishadi Malshani, both of whom missed out on selection for the Asian meet.
Vidyarathena SC’s Sachini Fernando, who clinched the Best Boxer title at the Clifford Cup, as well as Army’s Sanduni Priyadarshani, are both poised to make a significant impact.
A World-Class Event
To ensure international standards and transparency, five Olympic-level officials from Kazakhstan, South Korea, and Ireland will oversee the bouts. The event will also be broadcast live by PEO Sports, with daily action starting at 4:00 PM.
“We’re pulling out all the stops to make this a world-class event,” Bandara said. “Galle Face Green, with its stunning backdrop of the Arabian Sea, will be transformed into a pristine boxing arena. Giant LED screens will bring the action to life for fans in Colombo, making this an unforgettable experience.”
The 97th National Boxing Championship promises to be a spectacle of skill, passion, and determination, setting the stage for Sri Lanka’s boxing future.
Squad for the first three ODIs: Shubman Gill [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer [VC], KL Rahul [WK], Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna*, Kuldeep Yadav
Squad for fourth and fifth ODIs: Shreyas Iyer [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan [WK, VC], Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav
[Cricbuzz]
Football’s Asian Cup, hosted by Saudi Arabia, could be moved back a year to 2028 following a series of attacks on the country by Yemen’s Houthis.
The continental tournament will be rescheduled “if we need to” but the organisers are in “no hurry” to make a decision, Asian Football Confederation President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said on Thursday.
The 2027 Asian Cup is supposed to kick off on January 7 in the Saudi cities of Jeddah, Riyadh and al-Khobar.
The kingdom has in recent days come under sustained attack in a dramatic escalation from the Houthis.
“We can wait until the end of November,” Al Khalifa told reporters in Zurich on Wednesday about a decision on the fate of the Asian Cup.
“Things can change very quickly for better or worse in the region, and it is a question of seeing what happens,” he added.
“If we need to make a decision then we will, but we could move back a year to 2028 if we need to.
“But at the moment we are monitoring the situation and everything is on schedule.”
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr saw their Asian Champions League match delayed by an hour on Monday after Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence said it had intercepted a missile fired towards Riyadh.
Three matches in Saudi domestic football, including one involving Al-Nassr, were postponed this week.
(Aljazeera)
All Island Schools Games Athletics Championships
by Reemus Fernando
The Under 18 boys’ shot put meet record will be under severe threat today, when the most talked-about thrower of the last All Island Schools Games Athletics Championships takes to the field on the opening day at Diyagama.
Mayon Rajasinghe, now competing for his third school in four years, has shown steady progress this season and appears to be peaking at the right time to attempt another record-breaking performance on the junior circuit.
Having recently set a new meet record of 17.31m at the Western Province Schools Games, Mayon will now try to surpass the All Island Schools Games Under 18 record of 17.15m.
The first two age-category records in the Games’ shot put event already bear his name. He set the current Under 14 record of 15.13m while representing Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa. Last year, while attending St. Joseph’s College, Darley Road, he shattered the Under 16 meet record with a throw of 18.57m using the 4kg shot. It is the furthest any Sri Lankan has thrown in the Under 16 category at any meet, from the Junior National Championships to the Sir John Tarbat Senior Championships to the Schools Games.
Yet the outstanding performance did not receive the recognition it deserved. His father, who also trains him, was adamant that the then 16-year-old deserved the meet’s Best Athlete title. The organisers disagreed, citing the differing weights of implements across age categories as their reason for setting the performance aside. No clear criteria had been announced before the meet, which made such disappointment all but inevitable. Senior Rajasinghe’s outburst after the presentation ceremony, and the social media backlash that followed, have had an effect: the Ministry of Education has now published criteria for selecting the meet’s best athlete. However, it remains doubtful whether the criteria in the competition manual can offer athletes in different age categories and disciplines an equal opportunity to have their performances assessed fairly.
This year Mayon represents Holy Cross College, Kalutara. He has picked up where he left off last year, breaking record after record, and is poised to make an impact once again.
The championship begins with a card of eight finals. Around 5,000 athletes in the Under 14, 16, 18 and 20 age categories, representing all nine provinces, will take part in the five-day event after qualifying through house, divisional, zonal and provincial competitions.
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