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| The Sri Lankan tour squad |
Swimmer Heshan Unamboowe, Table Tennis player Harshana Sashiranga of the Athletic Teams are among the best prospects to win medals at the first ever Asian Youth Games to be held from June 29 to July 7 in Singapore. The team left the island yesterday.
Unamboowe is the most versatile and experienced swimmer to be selected for this event. He has participated in many top level meets and has done well. Even in the swimming meet last week he won a double and this is good preparation for the Singapore Games. He has also been knocking on the door to national selection for Olympic Games in the near future.
Swimming events will be held at the Singapore Sports School in Champions Way that has a seating capacity of 1500.
Sashiranga is the most versatile junior Table Tennis player from Sri Lanka who has won many medals in Junior International tournaments. Nuwani Navodya among the girls is also a good prospect to win a medal at the Games. She has fared very well in local tournaments and holds a bright future. Table Tennis events will be held at the Toa Payoh Sports Hall with a seating capacity of 2000.
The Athletic teams too are expected to perform well. They should follow the achievements of the seniors at international level and bring some medals home. Most of the junior athletes have obtained scholarships from the Lakshman de Alwis Memorial Trust Fund as they are talented athletes.
The four of the Athletes selected for these Games who received sponsorship from the Lakshman de Alwis Memorial Trust Fund are Ashane Fernando, the only boy while Akshana Maralanda, Jeewanthi Senanayake and Nayomika Jayatilleka are the girls who received these sponsorships.
Athletics events will be held at the Bishan Stadium that has a seating capacity of 3200.
The Sri Lanka contingent consists of 30 athletes and eleven officials. There will be 42 countries being represented in the nine disciplines to be held. The disciplines are; Football, Sailing, Bowling, Beach Volleyball, Swimming, Diving, Table Tennis, FIBA 33 and Shooting.
The contingent is as follows:
Nishantha Piyasena is Chef de Mission. Athletics: (Girls) Chathubashini Maralanda, Jeewanthi Senanayake, Nadeeshani Henderson, Anne Marie Perera, Nayomika Gimhani, and Madushani Siriwardana. (Boys) Heshan Amarasinghe, Madusanka Athauda, Dulaj Lahiru, Indunil Herath, Milan Dissanayake and Dhanushka Fernando. N.P. Wijesiri is coach. Chandana Ekanayake, Manager.
Basketball: (Girls) Andrea Fernando, Dhanushika Rajapaksha, Jayani Ransari and Sanduni Udeshika. (Boys): Praneeth Udumalagala, Yohan Keyser, Anook Nimash de Fonseka and Clinton Devakumar.
Ajith Kuruppu (coach); Ganeshanathan Thambiayah (Manager).
Swimming: Heshan Unamboowe and Danika Weerasekera.
P. Uyanhewa (Manager cum coach).
Table Tennis: (Boys) Hasintha Sashiranga and Imantha Udanjaya. (Girls) Nuwani Navodya and Kavindi Sahabandu. G.G. Weerakkody (Manager and coach).
Beach Volleyball: (men); Ashen Jeenantha Fernando and Sadun Fernando. (Women) Oshani Chapa Illangakone and Nilanthika Sanjeewani.
K.A.S. Nandasiri (coach) and Nihal Fernando (manager). |
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