Athletics national pool to commence training for 2022 Games from November 1

By Susil Premalal

Sri Lanka Athletics (SLA) has decided to start national pool training from November 1 in preparation for the three international athletic competitions next year.

The World Athletics Championship is to be held in Oregon, USA from July 15 to 24, the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England from July 28 to August 8, and finally the Asian Games in Hongzhou, China from September 10 to 25.

A two-day selection trial will be held on October 17 and 18 at the Sugathadasa Stadium to pick the national pool, according to the SLA President Maj. Gen. (rtd) Palitha Fernando.

SLA has made arrangement to conduct the second and third stages of the 99th National Athletics Championship consisting of 29 events on August 7 and 8 before the selection meet.

The Nationals has been conducted in stages owing to Covid-19 restrictions, with nine events being worked off in June.

Meanwhile, 13 gold medalists at the South Asian Games (SAG) have been included in the High Performance Sports Development Programme jointly initiated by the National Sports Council and the Sports Ministry.
The 99th Athletic Nationals, Selection Trials and High Performance pool will form the basis for national pool training to commence on November 1, the SLA President added.