The 23rd Guwan Hamuda Papedi Sawariya (Air Force Cycle Race) will be flagged off on March 4 in front of the Sri Lanka Air Force Headquarters, Colombo. The race will be conducted in collaboration with the 71st Anniversary Celebrations of the Sri Lanka Air Force which falls on March 2.
The Men’s Race will be the flagship event of the tour and it will be conducted as a three-day event on this occasion. The first day of the race will proceed to Puttalam and it will reach Dambulla via Anuradhapura on the second day. On the final day (March 6) the race will proceed via Narammala, Giriulla and it will finish at Katunayake with a total distance of 400 km. Over one hundred and eighty (180) male riders are expected to take part in the race while winners will be awarded handsome cash prizes.
The women’s race will be conducted as a single-day event with around 50 cyclists while it will begin at Puttalam on March 6. The race will end at Katunayake with a total distance of 105 km. The award ceremony of cycle races will be held at No. 3 L and R Wing SL Air Force Base, Katunayake.
“Sri Lanka Air Force has decided various sporting events to be conducted in 2022. They will host 12th Defence Services Games for two years (2022 and 2023) periods while there will be 38 sporting events,” the Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force Air Marshal Sudarshana Pathirana said at a media briefing held at its Headquarters.
“CISM (Conseil International du Sport Militaire) World Military Games Beach Volleyball Championship is scheduled to be held at Negombo from July 16 to 23. I think this is a great opportunity to show the talents of armed forces players. The armed forces personnel who may previously have met on the battlefield compete on the sports playing field under this championship,” he further added.
“The next edition of Commander’s Cup Rugby Championship is decided to be held as previous year and date will be notified later. Also, we decided to hold a women’s rugby championship to promote the sport among women from this year. We expect a large number of participants to the Air Force Open Squash Tournament. It will be conducted in age group categories to give more opportunities to show players’ prowess. Also, there will be an Eagle’s Monsoon Cup Golf Tournament in the line of our sporting calendar to be held this year,” Air Marshal said.
“A National Kabaddi Championship is scheduled to be held in the future as a result of discussion with Minister of Sports Namal Rajapaksa. We expect to give our fullest contribution to promoting the sport in the country as a military force,” the Commander further said.
