It was a fitting birthday celebration to the Olympic day by the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka at the Polhena Beach in Matara on Tuesday.
The most important flag ship event – the Olympic Day run was obviously the icon yet prior to that on the same day the NOC SL also launched its environmental awareness programme. But, the theme of this programme behind the day to be aware of the vagaries of the changing climate and its repercussions was amply instilled into the people of Matara and it was emphatic.
During the initial half of the day the NOC SL team led by its President Suresh Subramaniam and its General Secretary Maxwell de Silva ventured into an avenue that even the International Olympic Committee had not thought of. So, the initial half of the run was under the caption “Give the reef another chance” a concept mooted by NOCSL Secretary General de Silva and artist Dillai Joseph.
Speaking about the task of launching this year’s programme the NOC SL Secretary General de Silva said “Soon after we decided to have the Olympic Day Run on June 25, we were heaped with the drawback of the April 21 carnage. I was under a lot of pressure to call off the Olympic Day Run citing safety measures, but, I was adamant that we should go ahead, because had we abandoned the programme it were the Lankans who were going to lose nationally and internationally. Since, the successful completion of the programme now we all know that we have sent the right vibes about the situation in Sri Lanka especially the Southern Coast, and it is a safe place to travel and have a event of this nature where there was a participation of over 1000 school children”.
With the ever changing conditions and confrontations of the challenges that the Lankan coral reef that is clearly under threat faces the NOC SL sought the help of a team of experts of the subject -- as The National Aquatic Resource and Development Authority (NARA), Sri Lanka NAVY combine with Coast Conservation, Coast guard, Marine Environment Protection Authority, Tokyo Cement, Ocean Resources Conservation Association (ORCA) and the Wildlife Authority. As a result the idea which was conceived early this year came to a tremendous success to the completion of the Coral replanting Programme, which is a three year sustainable project, studded with a information centre.
The programme was teed off with the beach cleaning programme which involved over hundred volunteer s which consisted school children, selected prisoners, volunteer organisers and others. To make the event more people spectator and NOC friendly, the event was also studded with events such as surfing, swimming, life saving, beach volleyball and beach kabaddi.
Besides there were two art competitions which involved seventeen schools from the Matara area. The in the first the theme was “Give the coral another chance”. This was launched approximately two weeks ahead of the programme with great success as the organisers received over 2500 submissions.
The second was also an art competition for fifty students from the area on the theme “Olympic Values”.
The Olympic Day run which was studded with a bevy of national and international athletes and sports men and women led by inimitable Susanthika Jayasingha – Lanka’s only surviving Olympic medallist was a huge success among the one thousand School Children who had the opportunity of running along the living legends.
The Chief Guest at the occasion was State Minister Seyed Ali Zahir Moulana while the guest of honour was Susanthika Jayasingha.
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