Nearly 600 school goers plus another hundred guests were in attendance at the Colombo Port City to participate in the Fun Run that took place on Tuesday afternoon.
This was the second stage of the Fun Run relay held to publicise the Asian Games to be held in Hangzhou, China from September 23 to October 8.
The first run was held in the Maldives last week and will run in other Asian countries Bhutan, Singapore, Qatar, Nepal, Pakistan, East Timor, Philippines, Vietnam and finally in Brunei Darussalam that belong to this group.
This event organized by the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka had cultural dancing performances, Fun Run of two kilometres for school children, display of jet ski riders from the navy, sailing demonstration, dragon boat show, questions and answers for school children, Taekwondo demonstration, modern pentathlon for children and a volleyball demonstration to entertain the crowd in the calm setting of the Port City.
The two-kilometre Fun Run had boys and girls participate. The boys’ race was won by Krishan Jayal of St. Joseph’s College Colombo 14 while Prasanna Vaas of the same school finished second and Madushat Priyan of Hindu College Mutwal finished third.
The girls’ race was won by Tirilogasundaram Saniya of Hindu College, Mutuwal while Anusha Perera from St. Joseph’s Girls School, Colombo 14 finished second. Rajaratnam Pradeesha of Hindu College, Mutwal finished third.
“Fun Run is a time honoured Asian Games tradition aiming to publicise sports events that carry forward the spirit of the Asian Games that attract public attention,” said Chen Xiang Yuan the Chancellor of the Chinese Embassy during his speech.
“Hangzhou belongs to one of China’s seven ancient capitals. The city not only has profound historical and cultural heritage, but also has picturesque views, friendly citizens, comfortable climate and advanced infrastructure.
“On behalf of the Chinese government and people I would like to warmly welcome the athletes from Sri Lanka to Hangzhou Asian Games so you can exhibit your sportsmanship and do your best.
“The 21st century belongs to Asia. We are glad to see that the shadow of the pandemic is fading away and Asia is becoming even more vibrant. Let the people of Asia work in solidarity and press ahead for a rise and prosperous Asia just like we ran with confidence in today’s Fun Run activities,” the Chancellor added.