Sports

Sri Lanka Rugby Players prop MEPA’s ‘Sayura Rakina Rella’ beach cleanup

Published

5 years ago

2021/02/20

Harsha Samaranayake, SGM, Brand and Media, Group Marketing, Dialog Axiata PLC and Rizly Illiyas, President, SLR leading the way at the beach cleanup.

On a balmy Thursday afternoon, Dialog Axiata PLC (Dialog), Sri Lanka’s premier connectivity provider, together with Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) inaugurated the first phase of the ‘Sayura Rakina Rella’ sustainable beach clean-up programme by the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) deployed to protect and preserve our oceans. The initiative kickstarted with the collection of over 770 kilograms (KG) of waste material from the Sarakkuwa beach (Negombo) which was handed over to the Wattala Pradeshiya Sabha for its safe and sustainable disposal.

Players from the present Sri Lanka men’s and women’s Rugby teams as well as former Tuskers such as Asoka Jayasena, Hisham Abdeen, Dilroy Perera, Ajith Upawansa, RMS Rathnayake and Jude Pillai, MEPA goodwill ambassadors, musical artists Bathiya & Santhush, young rugby players from the Western Lions Academy, officials from SLR together with the Dialog team volunteered for two-hour to restore the beach to a pristine condition.

According to a pollution index transcribed by the World Bank in 2015, Sri Lanka ranked as the 5th worst beach polluter of the world, mainly due to poor disposal of plastic waste. On average, a Sri Lankan produces 500g of non-degradable waste per day resulting in a mammoth amount of 100 million KGs of solid waste added into Sri Lanka’s coastal waters, according to 2017 records. During the total two-hour collection process at ‘Sayura Rakina Rella’, 275.89 KG of plastic, 102.6 KG of metal, 83 KG of glass, 250 KG of organic and 63 KG of paper waste was collected.

“We are thankful for Dialog and SLR for coming forward for this important initiative to safeguard Sri Lanka’s natural assets. We at MEPA sincerely hope that these initiatives, in the long run, inspire other sporting bodies, corporates and civil society to come forth and do their civic duty and we believe that initiatives of this nature enable corporates to be an agent of change in building a better tomorrow. We hope that by paving the way for initiatives of this nature, we can turnaround the present status quo especially as the country is on the cusp of opening its borders for tourism,” Dharshani Lahandapura, Chairperson of MEPA said.

“Rugby 7s giants in the Pacific Ocean like Fiji, Samoa and Tonga play most of their rugby on the beaches. They play touch rugby especially on the beach to develop their mind-blowing ball handling skills, which is something that I don’t see much today in Sri Lanka,” Rizly Iliyas, President of SLR said. He further elaborated, “When we were school children, we used to come to the beach often to play touch rugby. However, due to increased pollution, the beaches are not safe to come to as one can easily hurt themselves from household waste that is buried in the sand. Under this sustainability initiative, we would like to discourage the public from polluting and to take on their roles as responsible citizens by following proper garbage disposal methods”.

“As the proud sponsor of Sri Lanka Rugby, Dialog Axiata is pleased to join hands with SLR and MEPA to conserve our marine resources which have been under threat as a result of careless waste disposal,” Harsha Samaranayake, Senior General Manager, Brand and Media, Group Marketing at Dialog Axiata PLC said. “It is our belief that sports, like Rugby with a large following, will be a game changer in influencing its followers and the public on the necessity of preserving one of our country’s greatest natural assets” he added.

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South Korea football coach quits as president calls for probe into World Cup loss

Published

3 hours ago

2026/06/29

Priyan

This is Hong's second stint as head coach of team South Korea [BBC]

Hong Myung-bo has resigned as head coach of South Korea’s men’s national football team after they failed to advance to the World Cup knockout stage.

The team had hoped they could still qualify for the next round of the tournament as one of the best third-placed teams, but that hope was quashed on Saturday.

The early exit has prompted widespread criticism at home, with President Lee Jae Myung calling for an investigation into reasons behind the team’s disappointing performance.

Hong apologised to fans on Sunday and said the responsibility “rests entirely with me as head coach”.

Ranked 32nd in FIFA’s men’s rankings and led by star player Son Heung-min, South Korea recorded two losses and one win at the World Cup, finishing behind Mexico and South Africa, who are ranked 15th and 60th respectively.

Criticism had mounted quickly after the team’s last match with South Africa on Thursday, which South Korea lost 1-0.

The defeat left them third in Group A. It still gave them hope to qualify for the next round under a new rule introduced with this tournament’s expansion from 32 to 48 teams, which allows the eight best third-placed teams in the group stage to progress to the knockout round. But on Saturday, they were knocked out because of the other teams’ final scores.

Fans blame Hong, who has been coaching the team for the past two years. On Monday, the national team’s official fan club Red Devils issued a statement calling on Hong to “kneel before the entire nation and leave the football world forever”.

Announcing his resignation at a news conference in Mexico on Sunday, Hong said that “we didn’t deliver the results that our fans expected”.

“Even though I am leaving the national team, I am not abandoning Korean football altogether,” Hong said. “I will cheer for the national team from the bottom of my heart and hope that the team will be trusted and loved by the people once again.”

The announcement came after President Lee said that he felt “not just confusion but utter bewilderment at the unexpected outcome”.

In a post on X, Lee said that the early exit of the team “appears to be a failure of organisation and personnel”.

“When favouritism and cronyism take precedence over competence in selecting a commander, the result is as predictable as fire burning paper,” he said.

Hong’s appointment to the head coach post was controversial from the start. The former defender was a hero of South Korea’s 2002 World Cup success, having captained the team to a historic semi-final finish. But when he led the team as a coach in 2014, they failed to advance beyond the group stage – or win a single match.

When Hong was appointed to the same job again in 2024, it was met with harsh uproar. Many football fans criticised the appointment as football association’s old guards giving the top job to their friend, as the KFA passed on a few foreign-born candidates who had undergone a rigorous vetting process.

On Sunday, Hong said that “accepting the job was not an easy choice”. “I cannot say every decision has been the right one, but I can tell you that I have made every decision with Korean football in mind,” he added.

South Korea police say that they are watching for security threats at Incheon Airport and other locations after a death threat was made online against Hong on his return to Korea over the weekend, local media reported.

[BBC]

Sports

Padikkal fifty, Sudeera five-for before India A, Sri Lanka A settle for draw

Published

6 hours ago

2026/06/29

Priyan

Devdutt Padikkal made 67 in India A's second innings [Cricinfo]

Devdutt Padikkal’s half-century and left-arm spinner Dilum Sudeera’s five-wicket haul were the highlights on day four as the first unofficial Test between India A and Sri Lanka A petered to a draw.

India A declared for the second time in the game after setting Sri Lanka A a target north of 300, but were only able to take two wickets in the 15 overs they managed to get in.

India began the day on 48 for no loss and a lead of 170, although B Sai Sudharsan had retired hurt on the third day. Padikkal and Aayush Pandey added 42 runs on the fourth morning before Sudeera removed the latter for 38 for his first wicket. Two balls later, Ravindu Fernando trapped Ruturaj Gaikwad for 1 off 2.

Padikkal went on to make 67 in a knock laced with five boundaries before Sudeera struck in consecutive overs to remove him and Jurel. Shaik Rasheed and Harsh Dubey then added 47 runs for the fifth wicket before Dubey was caught behind off Chamika Gunasekara. Sudeera then snared Rasheed, Saransh Jain and Auqib Nabi in the next over, when India A decided to declare 311 runs ahead. Sudharsan did not return to bat for India A.

Sri Lanka A’s openers had brisk and solid start, but it slightly came apart when Nabi cleaned up Pawantha Weerasinghe for 20 off 19 in the fifth over and Dubey trapped Niroshan Dickwella lbw.

Nuwanidu Fernando and Ashen Bandara then saw the day out, with India A unable to inflict any further damage.

Scores:
India A 452 for 6 dec in 111.4 overs (Sai Sudharsan 132, Dhruv Jurel 141*, Shaik Rasheed 63; Chamika Gunasekara 3-84, Dilum Sudeera 2-143) and 189 for 8 dec in 57 overs (Devdutt Padikkal 67; Dilum Sudeera 5-49) vs Sri Lanka A 330 in 101.4 overs (Nuwanidu Fernando 84, Ashen Bandara 70, Sahan Arachchige 72; Auqib Nabi 4-58) and 70 for 2 (Pawantha Weerasinghe 20; Auqib Nabi 1-18, Harsh Dubey 1-25). Match ended in a draw

Dilum Sudeera captured five wickets [Cricinfo]

[Cricinfo]

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Canada score late to beat South Africa and reach last 16 at World Cup 2026

Published

7 hours ago

2026/06/29

Priyan

Canada's Stephen Eustaquio, centre, celebrates after scoring [Aljazeera]

Canada beat South Africa 1-0 thanks to a stoppage-time strike by Stephen ⁠Eustaquio from distance to reach the FIFA World Cup last 16 for the first time in their history.

Eustaquio received the ball on the edge of the ⁠South Africa penalty area and hammered it past diving goalkeeper Ronwen Williams in a thrilling conclusion to the first knockout-round match of the tournament on Sunday.

South Africa, who had seemed ⁠content to play for extra time and a possible penalty shootout, made a few furious but unsuccessful attempts to level before the final whistle as the sun broke through the clouds at Los Angeles Stadium.

Canada will next face either the Netherlands or Morocco on July ‌4 in Houston for a place in the quarterfinals.

“It’s about the two years we’ve been together,” Canada coach Jesse Marsch told the team in a huddle after the final whistle.

“Think about how we talked about sticking to the plan – you guys showing your character. You guys are Canadian heroes here.”

Chances were scarce in a cagey first half, with little to separate the sides, who were both playing ⁠in the knockout rounds for the first time.

Canada’s best opening ⁠came just before half-time when a corner sparked a scramble in the South Africa box. Moise Bombito sent a header goal-wards, which was cleared off the line by Aubrey Modiba, before Tajon Buchanan’s close-range effort struck ⁠Williams in the chest.

Moments later, Richie Laryea went down in the area, prompting Canadian appeals for a penalty, but the decision ⁠not to award a spot kick stood after a ⁠VAR review, prompting loud boos from Canada’s red-clad army of supporters dominating the stands.

Marsch continued to protest as the teams left the field at half-time, with Bombito appearing to urge him away from the referee.

Frustration ‌for Canada only grew early in the second half, as South Africa appeared in no rush to press the issue.

Canada had another chance just before the second-half hydration ‌break, ‌when Tani Oluwaseyi’s shot hit the keeper, and Jonathan David was unable to head the ricochet home, thanks to an excellent defensive effort by Mbekezeli Mbokazi to clear the ball.

Eustaquio dedicated the win to “all Canadians” when he spoke to reporters after the match.

“I think it was an amazing goal. When I shot, I thought everyone shot with me. Everyone added a little power to it when it went into the back of the net.

” It started when we came out of group stage. Belief is a big part of it. We will now get either Netherlands or Morocco. Anything can happen. If we keep working like we are doing, we might even win it.”

[Aljazeera]