Colombo, Sri Lanka, February 7 2023: The ancient Sinhalese martial art of Angampora was the icing on the cake at the Sri Lankan leg of the Hangzhou Asian Games Fun Run at Colombo Port City on Tuesday, February 7.
Delegations from the Olympic Council of Asia and Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee (HAGOC), plus senior officials from the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka and a number of National Sports Federations, watched a demonstration of Angampora which was the highlight of the second South Asian leg of the Fun Run.
Soldiers from the Sri Lanka Army put on a show of the ancient martial art which was passed down from generations of kings and warriors with the intention of repelling foreign invaders.
However, on Tuesday the foreigners were made welcome as more than 700 participants including 300 schoolchildren underlined the true meaning behind the Fun Run – for the public and societies across Asia to get involved in the spirit of the Asian Games.
“The Hangzhou Asian Games is an important sporting event for Sri Lanka and we are happy to host the Fun Run,” said Maxwell de Silva, Sri Lanka NOC Secretary General in his welcome address.
Chen Xiangyuan, Counsellor of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to Sri Lanka, was the Chief Guest at the colourful ceremony staged at the picturesque Port City being built by China on the shores of Colombo.
The ceremony began with a video message from Chen Weiqiang, Vice Mayor of Hangzhou and Deputy Secretary General of HAGOC.
Schoolchildren from five Colombo schools then took part in a 2km fun run and it was followed by demonstrations by jet skis and a number of sports including taekwondo, shooting and volleyball.
The cultural aspect of the island nation was showcased by dancers from the Sri Lanka Navy and this was followed by dragon boat racing by teams from the three branches of the Armed Forces.
The Sri Lanka NOC also ran a Q&A session for the five schools with questions centred on the Asian Games and its history. Organisers presented sports equipment and books to all the participating schools, along with prizes and certificates for the top three boys and girls who figured in the Fun Run.
Bhutan and Qatar will be the next stop – February 14 - on the West and South Asian circuit of the Asian Games Fun Run.
