Sports
Vidanage and Gomes to carry Queen’s Baton
Weightlifters Chinthana Vidanage and Dinusha Hansani Gomes will carry the Queen’s Baton when the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay arrives in Sri Lanka; the 25th destination out of the 72 Commonwealth nations and territories that it will be visiting.
“On January 3, 2022, President of CGA Sri Lanka – Suresh Subramaniam and other dignitaries from the Ministry of Sports and British High Commission will officially welcome the Baton at the Bandaranaike International Airport. The Queen’s Baton will be carried at the airport by Chinthana Vidanage and Dinusha Hansani Gomes, who have won the medals at the Commonwealth Games,” a communiqué from the National Olympic Committee said.
A busy schedule of activities and events are planned for the Queen’s Baton Relay, with opportunities to showcase untold stories from Batonbearers, athletes, and young people who are striving for change in their community.
During it’s time in Sri Lanka the Queen’s Baton Relay will visit Colombo, Kandy and travel up to Hatton.
The Queen’s Baton will arrive here having previously visited The Maldives.
Since its inaugural appearance at the Cardiff 1958 Commonwealth Games, the Queen’s Baton Relay has been a tradition at the Commonwealth Games.
The Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay started at Buckingham Palace on 7 October 2021, when Her Majesty The Queen placed Her Message to the Commonwealth into the Baton and passed it to four-time Paralympic gold medallist and Team England athlete Kadeena Cox, who had the honour of being the first of thousands of Batonbearers to carry the Baton.
The President of CGA Sri Lanka – Suresh Subramaniam said “I am delighted that Sri Lanka is a part of this extraordinary journey. It’s a way to highlight and promote the beauty of Sri Lanka to people across the Commonwealth.”
The CGA Sri Lanka’s Secretary General Mr. Maxwell de Silva has said “We are looking forward to celebrating the arrival of the Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay in our community and are well on track with our planning for the occasion. Everyone here is excited to get involved with the festivities and to cheer on the Batonbearers.”
Commenting on the occasion, Maarya Rehman, Country Director, British Council stated, “The British Council has worked in countries across the Commonwealth for decades, supporting the UK’s sectors and international ambitions by building connections through arts and culture, education and the English language.
Our on-the-ground expertise, knowledge and networks with young leaders, education professionals, researchers, artists, leaders and policymakers enable us to provide a unique cultural relations contribution. The 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham provides a unique opportunity to build sports, arts, and citizenship connections throughout the education sector between the host city and country and the geographies of the Commonwealth. Through our Commonwealth Connection global program, the British Council Sri Lanka, provides educational opportunities for young people in schools to learn together and develop a deeper knowledge and understanding of the Commonwealth and its values, thus allowing young people to feel more ownership and ability to shape their communities.
The project will use school twinning as an approach that enables peer-to-peer exchange of knowledge and experience, through which schools collaborate for shared learning and mutual enrichment. The project has six schools in the Central Province in Sri Lanka twinning with six schools in the West Midlands. An estimated 500+ students in these schools are directly reached through this project. We are delighted to support the local hosting body of the GoSL, CGA Sri Lanka for a successful celebration”.
The British High Commission stated – “We look forward to welcoming the Baton here in Sri Lanka! Find out more about the Queen’s Baton Relay and the journey around the Commonwealth here. This epic journey across the Commonwealth represents hope, solidarity and collaboration for the next generation, and is connecting communities in every corner of the Commonwealth, embracing unique cultures and sharing stories.”
The 16th official Queen’s Baton Relay is an epic journey covering the entirety of the Commonwealth as it will travel to all 72 nations and territories, covering a distance of 140,000 kilometres. For 269 days, the Baton will travel to Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania, the Caribbean and the Americas, before it embarks on the final stretch of its journey across England for 25 days.
The Queen’s Baton Relay will complete its journey at the Opening Ceremony of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games on 28 July 2022. This is a traditional and fundamental part of the Games and the Opening Ceremony, as the final Batonbearer will pass the Baton back to The Queen. The Queen’s message to the Commonwealth will then be removed from the Baton and read aloud, marking the official start of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Sri Lanka’s leg-spin spearhead Wanindu Hasaranga has warned rivals not to write off the hosts ahead of the World Cup, after his four-wicket burst in the final T20I against Pakistan helped Sri Lanka square the three-match series on Sunday.
Hasaranga’s spell turned the game on its head and restored belief in a side that has blown hot and cold. Speaking after being named Player of the Match and Player of the Series, the leg-spinner said Sri Lanka, buoyed by home conditions, remain very much in the hunt for a semi-final berth.
Under head coach Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka have made steady strides over the past 18 months. There have been a few distractions recently like changes in selectors and captaincy among them, but the dressing room, Hasaranga insisted, is quietly confident.
“We know the conditions and we’ve grown up playing in these conditions,” Hasaranga said. “If we use them well, we can have a major impact. Players need to identify their roles. Once that happens, we can put on a good show.”
Sunday’s decider was reduced to 12 overs a side after rain delayed the start by more than two hours, but Hasaranga felt the shortened contest still offered valuable lessons.
“Today we looked good,” he said. “We’ve been lacking a bit of consistency in recent years. In a World Cup, you have to minimise mistakes and keep moving forward.”
Bowling with a wet ball tested the spinners’ skills and patience, but Hasaranga viewed it as useful match practice rather than an inconvenience.
“It was challenging with a wet ball,” he explained. “But it’s good these things happen before a World Cup. It prepares you for all kinds of situations. I even spoke to our batters about what deliveries they’d prefer to face, and that input helped when we went out to defend.”
Sri Lanka now enjoy a week’s breather before hosting England with Hasaranga keen to see his side peak at the right time.
“When this series started, we had six games leading into the World Cup,” he said. “Rain in Dambulla meant things didn’t always go to plan. As a team, we wanted winning momentum. There are only a couple of games left now and we need to be firing on all cylinders when the World Cup begins.”
Sri Lanka had stumbled in the opener, losing by six wickets after being bowled out inside 20 overs, while the second match was washed out without a toss. A 14-run win in the final game, however, ensured honours ended even.
Rex Clementine
in Dambulla
It will be a four-way battle for the top post of Sri Lanka Athletics as fresh nominations for the election of office bearers closed at the Sports Ministry on Monday. Former president Sunil Gunawardana, Bimal Wijesinhge, Sugath Kumara and Prasanna Indika are the nominees for the post of president and they are subjected to objections.
This is the second time the Ministry of Sports called for nominations after different stakeholders successfully challanged the earlier niminations alleging that there were errors in the process.
Informed sources said that this time too the Ministry of Sports has left enough room for allegations as it announced the names of the nominees without waiting for the nominations sent by post.
”There was a fundamental error as they did not wait for nominations sent by post. They informed the stake holders by post. Some member federations had received the letters only on last Thursday. They were in a mighty hurry to announce the names of the nominees soon after the nominations closed,” a source close to athletics told The Island.
Following are the nominees for various posts of Sri Lanka Athletics.
President: Sunil Gunawardana, Bimal Wijesinhge, Prasanna Indika, Sugath Kumara
Vice President: Prasanna Indika, Lal Chandrakumara, Lt. Col. G.N. Jayathilaka, Irangani Rupasinghe, Jagath Silva, G.J. Siyamudali, Prasanna Aluvihare
Secretary: Dr. Dhammika Senanayake, Sameera Perera, Madawa Herath
Asst. Secretary: Sameera Perera, Aloy Wickramasinghe (RF)
Wing Commander Lakmal Gunewardene (Retd) secured the Eagles’ Monsoon Cup Trophy, achieving the highest score in the gents’ category and Pravina Dunuwille emerged as the Ladies’ Trophy winner at the fourth edition of the Eagles Monsoon Cup Golf Tournament which came to a close at the picturesque China Bay, near the harbour city of Trincomalee.
The Sri Lanka Air Force, in collaboration with Eagles’ Golf Links and Courses, successfully conducted the fourth edition of the Eagles’ Monsoon Cup Golf Tournament on Sunday.
The tournament, conducted under the Stableford Scoring System, commenced in the morning with the participation of 80 enthusiastic golfers, including 13 women golfers. The tournament was officially inaugurated when one of the former Commanders of the Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Jayalath Weerakkody, took the first tee-off.
Wing Commander Nalin Bentharaarachchi (Retd) claimed the Runner-up position in the Gents’ category, and Niloo Jayathilake was awarded the Ladies’ Runner-up position. In addition, Buddika Amarasinghe and Air Chief Marshal Jayalath Weerakkody received accolades for the Longest Drive and Nearest to the Pin, respectively, in the Gents’ category, while Sandra Cadien secured the Longest Drive in the Ladies’ category. The Wooden Spoon was awarded to Nimal Jayasinghe.
The Eagles’ Monsoon Defence Challenge Trophy, presented to members of the Tri-Services in the Men’s category, was won by Wing Commander Asantha Gunaratne from the SLAF. Lieutenant Commander Mevan Perera from the SL Navy was the Runner-up of the Defence Challenge Trophy. Commodore Mangala Mummullage received the award for the Longest Drive in the Defence Challenge category.
The Best Total Net Score in the Six Hidden Holes competition segment was achieved by Wing Commander Lakmal Gunewardene (Retd) and Group Captain Prabath Wijekoon received the Commander’s Island Green Award for the 2025 year’s Eagles’ Monsoon Cup iteration.
The awards of the Eagles’ Monsoon Cup were presented at a gala Awards Ceremony held at Eagles’ Golf Links during the evening of the same day. The Director General Air Operations, Air Vice Marshal Dhammika Dias, graced the Awards Ceremony as the Chief Guest. Further, Air Chief Marshal Jayalath Weerakkodi, Chairman of SLAF Golf, Air Commodore Erandika Gunewardene, Secretary of Air Force Golf Links and Courses, Group Captain Asanka Rathnayake, Secretary of Air Force Golf, Wing Commander Thushan Fernando, Sales Manager of Aviyana Ceylon Resorts, Suranga Fernando (representing the Chairman of Aviyana Ceylon Resorts) and other golf enthusiasts attended the ceremony.
Adding to the prestige of the occasion, Aviyana Ceylon Resorts sponsored the tournament, enhancing its grandeur and providing a memorable experience for all participants.
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