The 86th Sir John Tarbet Championships will take place in two legs with the Senior competition taking place from the 13th to 15th September at the Diyagama Mahinda Rajapakse stadium and the Junior Tarbet will be held at the Mahaweli Stadium in Embilipitiya.
One of the most looked forward to sporting events in the school’s athletic calendar will see over 350 schools fielding over 3500 athletes in the senior category while over 600 schools have confirmed the participation of over 6000 athletes for the junior competition.
Speaking at the media briefing the President of the Sri Lanka Schools Athletic Assosiation (SLSAA) Mr. N.A.D.A.R. Hemantha commended the support rendered to the Schools Association by Ritzbury the sole sponsor of the event who has been supporting the meet for the past 04 years.
He also added that “SLSAA decided to reschedule the meets due to the weather conditions that prevailed in the country and also to let the young athletes who were sitting for their Advanced Level Examinations to be able to finish their exams and prepare better for the meet.
We hope that we will be able to provide a platform for the youngsters to enhance their talents and to be able to make their mark in the national and international arena”
Addressing the gathering for the sponsors Ms.Theja Peiris, Group General Manager – Marketing Ceylon Biscuits Limited (CBL) advised that CBL was delighted to extend their co-operation for this prestigious meet and also added that “Ritzbury has always been at the forefront in uplifting young athletes in the country and we are glad to extend our support towards the success of the county’s oldest schools championship for the fifth consecutive year”
Photo Album – John Tarbet School Athletics Championship Press Conference
Questions were raised by the media over the state of the track at the Diyagama stadium and whether technology in the likes of electronic time keeping will be available at the games since it was not available at the recently concluded national meet prior to the Olympics and also at the Defense services athletic meets and this would lead to any potential records at the games not being accounted for.
Answering the query Mr. T.B Wedagedara, Secretary of the SLSAA advised that they are aware of the situation at the Diyagama stadium but have no alternative as it is the only artificial track available in the Island and with regard to the lack of technology which is required for the event, he asserted that they are in talks with the Ministry of Sports to get the necessary arrangements done prior to the event as the stadium facilities are not under the purview of the SLSAA.
