News

19th Asian Games to kick off at Hangzhou in China Today

Published

1 year ago

September 23, 2023

editor

The 19th edition of the Asian Games is all set to kick off today in the Chinese city of Hangzhou.

Delayed by a year due to coronavirus pandemic restrictions, the 19th edition of the event is set to officially begin with a two-hour opening ceremony from 5.30pm.

The opening ceremony for the Asian Games will take place at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium, which is capable of accommodating up to 80,000 people.

The stadium was completed in 2018 and is mostly used for soccer matches, features a retractable roof, a circular LED screen, and a natural grass field.

Dating back to 1951, the Games are bigger than the Olympics when it comes to the number of athletes and sports – and this year’s competition is billed as the biggest in history.

Nearly 12,500 athletes – more than ever – from 45 countries and territories will be competing across 40 sports. The Games will be held in 56 venues, 12 of which have been newly built.

The programme includes the more traditional events, such as athletics and swimming but also those which reflect Asia’s diverse sporting culture, such as sepak takraw, or kick volleyball, kabaddi, and wushu, a martial art.

China, as the host country, has the privilege of choosing which sports to include in the programme, with bridge, chess and Xiangqi (Chinese chess) being among the non-Olympic events featured in the schedule.

Meanwhile, e-sports, breakdancing and sport climbing will be making their Games debut, in an effort to attract the interest of younger people.

FIFA Online 4, Street Fighter V and League of Legends are among the seven e-sport medal events.

The Games will see participants competing for 481 gold medals across 15 days.

Sri Lanka is fielding a 96-member contingent with 62 male and 34 female athletes.

The closing ceremony on October 8 will include the handover to Japan before the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Games.

Qatar will host the Asian Games in 2030.

News

CC approves Acting IGP appointment (Update)

Published

4 hours ago

October 8, 2024

editor

The Constitutional Council today (Oct. 08) approved the appointment of Senior DIG Priyantha Weerasuriya as the Acting Inspector General of Police.

Previous news( October 8th 2024, 2:45 pm)

CC to decide today on Actg. IGP’s appointment

The Constitutional Council (CC) is to reach a final decision today (Oct. 08) over the appointment of Acting Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasooriya.

According to regulations, if the Acting IGP serves for more than 14 days, the approval of the Constitutional Council is required.

The meeting chaired by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena will also include the new Prime Minister – Harini Amarasuriya, and Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath.

News

Warrant issued to arrest Upul Tharanga

Published

5 hours ago

October 8, 2024

editor

The Matale High Court has issued a warrant against Upul Tharanga, Chairman of the Selection Committee at Sri Lanka Cricket, for failing to appear in court today (Oct. 08).

The warrant pertains to a match-fixing case that Tharanga himself had filed a complaint over related to the Legends League tournament played in Kandy.

Upul Tharanga is currently in the US playing in a franchise cricket tournament.

News

Vasu’s DLF decides to back NPP in general election

Published

5 hours ago

October 8, 2024

editor

The Democratic Left Front (Prajathanthravadi Vamanshika Peramuna) has officially announced its support for the National People’s Power (NPP) in the forthcoming parliamentary elections.

The party’s leader, former MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara, confirmed this decision during a press conference held today (Oct. 08).

Noting that the DLF’s efforts to align with the NPP, Vasudeva has said : “We have worked to build a relationship with the National People’s Power and contest this election together. Even during the presidential election, we tried to cooperate. Although it came down to a matter of policy for the NPP, we are now offering our full support to the National People’s Power.”

“We are committed to standing with the National People’s Power as we head into this election. We must say our supporters that the vote you give us is a vote for the NPP”, he added.