Sri Lanka to send 10 members for Brazil Paralympics 2016
The Sri Lanka Para-Olympics is hoping to field at least ten athletes for the Paralympic Games to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from September 7 – 18. Sri Lanka will be sending athletes from four sports to Rio Paralympics. On the ‘Road to Rio 2016’, one of the selection trials for the final athletic squad will take place at the National Para Athletics Championship from the January 21 to 23 at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Sports Complex, Diyagama.
Harsha Samaranayake General Manager, Group Marketing and Media Dialog (Axiata) handing over the sponsorship cheque for National Para Athletics Championships to U.R. Rodrigo President Paralympic Committee Sri Lanka. – Pic by Indraratne Balasuriya
Over 700 athletes are expected for the trials and nationals where 180 events will be worked off. From the North and East around 300 athletes are expected, stated the President of the Sri Lanka Para-Olympics Committee U.R. Rodrigo. Around 30 athletes will be selected to the Para Olympics athletics pool. Also there are plans to select young athletes under the age of 18 years for the 2020 Paralympics to be held in Japan.
Sri Lanka’s most prolific sponsor of Paralympic Sports, Dialog Axiata, will power the national contingent. The Sri Lankan contingent is vying for another Medal at the Rio Games after the heroics of Paralympian, Pradeep Sanajaya, who won the nation’s first medal at the 2012 London Paralympic Games. Pradeep Sanjaya secured a bronze medal in the 400 meter T46 category with a timing of 49.29 seconds to secure Sri Lanka’s first podium finish at the Paralympics.
The Sri Lankan contingent anticipates fielding a minimum of 10 athletes representing the disciplines of athletics, table tennis, wheelchair tennis, archery and air rifle shooting at the Rio games. Athletes from 150 countries will contest for medals in 22 sports.
Dialog is the proud sponsor of the National Paralympics Committee and the Sri Lanka Army Para Games Committee from 2015 to 2017, and has a long history with Paralympic sports in Sri Lanka when the Company first sponsored the Sri Lanka Paralympic contingent in the year 2000, followed by 2004 and 2008, including sponsorship of the National Sports Festival for the Disabled.
Dialog was also the proud sponsor of the Army Para Games for 2015, which empowers disabled serviceman to compete for top honours in 14 disciplines, which included athletics, archery, badminton, cycling, shooting, table tennis, power lifting, wheelchair marathon, wheelchair tennis, wheelchair basketball, swimming, wheelchair volleyball, beach volleyball and seven-a-side softball cricket. - SP