Record cash awards on offer at National Youth Sports Festival

The 36th National Youth Sports Festival will be held from 30 October to 1 November at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium in Diyagama, with organisers offering what they describe as the highest cash prizes ever awarded at a sports festival in Sri Lanka.

The opening ceremony will be held on 30 October at 3 p.m. under the patronage of Leader of the House and Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Bimal Rathnayake and Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Sunil Kumara Gamage.

The closing ceremony is scheduled for 1 November at 4 p.m. under the patronage of Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya.

Deputy Minister of Youth Affairs Dinindu Saman Hennayake said the annual festival, organised by the National Youth Services Council, provides a pathway for athletes from youth clubs at Grama Niladhari division level to progress to the national stage.

Cash awards of Rs. 200,000, Rs. 150,000 and Rs. 100,000 will be presented to the overall champion, runner-up and third-placed athlete respectively. The best male and female athletes will each receive Rs. 100,000.

A Youth Sports Festival record will earn Rs. 10,000, while a Sri Lankan national record will carry a Rs. 100,000 award.

For the team championship, the winners will receive Rs. 350,000, with Rs. 300,000 for the runners-up and Rs. 100,000 for third place.

Cash prizes will also be awarded in carrom, beach volleyball and the marathon, while the top three school bands will receive Rs. 100,000, Rs. 75,000 and Rs. 50,000 respectively.

A musical concert is also planned for the final night of the festival.

Caption: The Deputy Minister of Youth Affairs, Dinindu Saman Hennayake (Centre) speaking to the media. Supun Wijeratne, Chairman of the National Youth Services Council and Director General of Youth Affairs is also present.