Sports
94th Clifford Cup Boxing Championship to be staged in Kandy
The 94th BASL (Boxing Association of Sri Lanka) Men’s and Women’s Clifford Cup Boxing Championship will take place from December 18 to 22, at Sahas Uyana, Kandy. Matches will commence daily at 2:00 pm, bringing together Sri Lanka’s finest boxers for a thrilling display of skill, strength, and sportsmanship.
The tournament will adhere to IBA (International Boxing Association) rules effective from March 3, 2024, ensuring a world-class standard of competition. This prestigious event is the second major BASL tournament hosted outside Colombo this year, following the successful Layton Cup semifinals and finals held at Negombo Beach Park in October.
The competition includes multiple weight categories for both men and women.
Men (13): Minimum 46-48 kg Fly 48-51 kg, Bantam 51-54 kg, Feather 54-57 kg, Light 57-60 kg, Light Welter 60-63.5 kg, Welter 63.5-67 kg, Light Middle 67-71 kg, Middle 71-75 kg, Light Heavy 75-80 kg, Cruiser 80-86 kg, Heavy 86-92 kg, Super Heavy Over 92 kg.
Women (12): Minimum 45-48 kg Light Fly 48-50 kg, Fly 50-52 kg, Bantam 52-54 kg, Feather 54-57 kg, Light 57-60 kg, Light Welter 60-63 kg, Welter 63-66 kg, Light Middle 66-70 kg, Middle 70-75 kg, Light Heavy 75-81 kg, Heavy Over 81 kg.
The tournament is open to male and female boxers aged 19 to 40 years.
Eligible participants include gold and silver medalists of the Novice, Intermediate, and Stubbs Shield Championships; gold medalists of the Junior National Boxing Championships; and competitors in previous Layton Cup, Clifford Cup, or National Championships.
Novice boxers are not eligible. Women with any medal from schools’ tournaments may participate if they meet age criteria.
The technical meeting and official draw will be held on December 17, 2024, from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Sahas Uyana, Kandy.
Entries close today.
The Sri Lanka Army Men’s team and the Sri Lanka Air Force Women’s team emerged as the standout champions at the 93rd Clifford Cup Boxing Championship, held at the Royal MAS Arena.
The Army showcased their dominance in the 13-weight class men’s division, claiming an impressive nine gold medals, two silvers, and one bronze to secure the Clifford Cup. The Navy took second place with one gold, four silvers, and four bronzes, while the Air Force rounded out the top three with one gold, one silver, and three bronzes.
In the women’s division, the Air Force team excelled, winning the Dian Gomes Challenge Trophy after earning five gold medals and two bronzes in the 11-weight class competition. The Army team followed closely, finishing second with four gold medals and two silvers, while the Navy secured third place with one gold, one silver, and one bronze.
Among the individual highlights, H.M.L.P. Jayawardana of the Army was named the Best Boxer in the men’s category for his outstanding performance in the Light Flyweight (Under 48kg) final, where he secured a unanimous decision victory against D.H. Thisarachchi from Back2Fit.
In the women’s category, K.K.I.T. Perera of the Air Force delivered an equally impressive performance in the Featherweight (Under 57kg) final, defeating MDP Manathunga of the Army with a unanimous decision to claim the Best Boxer award.
The 94th BASL Clifford Cup promises five days of intense, high-calibre boxing action, showcasing Sri Lanka’s top talent. Fans and enthusiasts are encouraged to witness this electrifying tournament as Kandy becomes the epicenter of the nation’s boxing scene.
Sri Lanka Athletics has invited India, the Philippines and the Maldives for next month’s Relay Championships conducted by Sri Lanka Schools Athletics Association in a bid to provide the men’s 4×400 metres relay quartet with a chance to reach qualifying standards for the World Relays.
Currently Sri Lanka men’s 4×400 metres relay team is within the required ranking position to compete at the prestigious World Relays taking place in Guangzhou, China. The 3:04.48 seconds finish to win the gold medal of the men’s 4×400 metres at the Asian Relays in May last year has placed Sri Lanka in the 31st position in the ‘Road to Guangzhou’ rankings.
But with many competitions coming up within the next couple of months Sri Lanka Athletics wants to leave no stone unturned in their quest to keep the ranking position within the qualifying range.
The teams in the first 32 positions according to the times produced within the qualifying period (January 1, 2024 to April 13, 2025) become eligible for the World Relays taking place on May 10 and 11 in Guangzhou.
Sri Lanka’s chances of improving the current standings (31st) at this week’s World Indoor Championship in China are minimal as Olympian Aruna Dharshana, who is the fastest of the current crop of athletes will not be available for the event.
Dharshana is currently training and competing in Australia. He is looking forward to reach qualifying standards or reach the required ranking position for World Championships in the 400 metres.
The World Athletics has set a tough standard of 44.85 seconds for the men’s 400 metres. While only 17 are selected through direct qualifying standards, 31 athletes are selected through rankings for the 400 metres. Dharshana is yet yo enter rankings to be eligible for the World Championships.
Sri Lanka Athletics will field Dharshana, Kalinga Kumarage, S.B.R. Madushan and Sadew Rajakaruna for the relay event in April.
by Reemus Fernando
Defence Services Beach Volleyball Championship 2025 was held from March 12 to 14 at the SLAF beach volleyball courts, Katunayake. During the finals SLAF Men’s team defeated SL Army (2-0) while the SL Navy Women’s team defeated SLAF Women’s team (2-0). Incidentally is the seventh Defence Services Beach Volleyball title won by the SLAF Men’s Team.
Base Commander SLAF Base Katunayake AVM Dhammika Dias graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Chairman of SLAF Volleyball, Group Captain Milinda Mendis, Senior Officers from SL Army and Navy were also present for the finals.
The Central Province Badminton Association (CPBA) is now accepting entries for one of Sri Lanka’s most anticipated badminton competitions, the Summer Season All-Island Open Championships 2025, which will be staged at the Municipal Council Indoor Stadium in Nuwara Eliya from April 21 to 27.
The highly followed seven-day annual badminton tournament, held during the Nuwara Eliya April Holiday Season, is known to attract Sri Lanka’s top ranked shuttlers. The National Ranking Level 1 competition, sanctioned by Sri Lanka Badminton (SLB), is one of the key sporting attractions of Nuwara Eliya during April every year, known to generate increasing public interest.
The championship will feature a wide range of events from Under-11 to Under-19 in the Junior category and Over-30 to Over-70 in the Senior category, with an addition of three Combined Age segment of 100+. The main attraction of the competition will be the Open events comprising Men’s and Women’s Singles, Doubles and Mixed Doubles, with an addition of a Plate Championship for the losers in Men’s and Women’s Singles.
The opening ceremony will take place on April 21st at 9:00am, followed by the preliminary rounds, leading up to the climax on April 26 with the quarter-finals and semi-finals. The excitement will continue on April 27 with the highly anticipated semi-finals and final matches, followed by the Closing Ceremony to mark the culmination of this championship.
The main draw seeding will be determined based on SLB Ranking as of April 13, followed by the draw on April 16 at 11:00am at No.2, Cambridge Terrace, Colombo 7. Entries will close on April 10 at noon. Entries can be submitted online or by contacting Sadeesha Adithya on 0761759017 and further details of the tournament are available in the prospectus published in the SLB website.
A total prize money of Rs.750,000 for all events based on the number of entries will be on offer, in addition to trophies, medals and certificates guaranteed for winners, runners-up and semi-finalists of each event of the tournament. Junior winners will receive appropriate gifts instead of prize money, according to a decision taken by the tournament organisers. The tournament is sponsored by Mobil, Li Ning, McFoil, 3M and GAC.
Accepting deposits for Local Authorities Election concludes
At least 12 dead in Honduras plane crash
Putin agrees in Trump call to pause Ukraine energy attacks but no full ceasefire
-
Foreign News4 days agoSearch continues in Dominican Republic for missing student Sudiksha Konanki
-
Features7 days agoRichard de Zoysa at 67
-
Features4 days agoThe Royal-Thomian and its Timeless Charm
-
News5 days agoDPMC unveils brand-new Bajaj three-wheeler
-
Sports2 days agoSri Lanka to compete against USA, Jamaica in relay finals
-
Features4 days ago‘Thomia’: Richard Simon’s Masterpiece
-
Features7 days agoSL Navy helping save kidneys
-
Editorial6 days agoCuriouser and curiouser!