John Tarbat Meet to showcase over 20,000 athletes

From left: Anura Liyanapathirana (Category Manager, Ritzbury), Nilupul de Silva (GM Marketing, CBL Foods International Pvt Ltd), Kamal Geeganage (Chief Operations Officer, CBLF), Athula Wejewardana (Director Sports, Ministry of Education), D. A. S. S. Wijesingha (President, SLSAA) and Indika Gamage (Secretary, SLSAA) 

By Susil Premalal 

Ritzbury, will serve as the exclusive sponsor of the Ritzbury Sir John Tarbat Athletic Championship 2024 for the 12th consecutive year, bringing together over 20,000 participants from nearly 1,000 schools, reinforcing the brand’s commitment to identifying and supporting young, aspiring athletes.

The commencement of the championship, the oldest school athletics event in Sri Lanka’s sporting history, was announced at a press briefing held in Colombo yesterday.  

Once again Ritzbury has partnered with the Sri Lanka Schools Athletics Association (SLSAA) to conduct the Championship, which will be organised and coordinated under the supervision of the Education Ministry.

The categories for the 53rd Ritzbury Sir John Tarbat Junior Athletic Championship will comprise Under-11, Under-12, Under-13, Under-14 and Under-15. 

Two new meets in Jaffna and Batticaloa have been added to the 2024 Championship calendar to increase the opportunities for young aspiring athletes at a regional level. 

The first stage of the junior championship will take place across all regions and kick-off for the Northern Province and Anuradhapura District at the Jaffna’s Duraiappa Stadium on June 13 and 14. 

The events for the Central, North Western Provinces and Gampaha District will be held at the Wennappuwa Public Grounds from July 12 to 14. Kalutara and Colombo Districts events will be at the Bandaragama Public Grounds from July 26 to 28. 

Similarly, events for the Eastern Province and Polonnaruwa District will take place at the Batticaloa Weber Stadium from August 3 to 4. 

Additionally, for the Southern Province, Uva Province and Sabaragamuwa Province, the events are scheduled to be held at the Embilipitiya Mahaweli Grounds from August 10 to 12.
Those who excel will have the opportunity to compete in the final championship in Colombo.

Nilupul De Silva, General Manager Marketing at CBL Foods International Pvt Ltd, emphasised Ritzbury’s steadfast commitment to nurturing young athletes stating: “Ritzbury is proud and eager to renew our partnership with the Sir John Tarbat Athletic Championship. We are always committed to developing young talent and Ritzbury is proud and eager to renew our partnership with Sri Lanka Sports Athletic Association. We take great pleasure in being a key contributor to the enormous success of overall athletic achievements.”

Meanwhile, D. A. S. S. Wijesinha, President of the SLSAA expressed her appreciation for Ritzbury’s consistent support of the Championship and noted: “The Championship’s continued relevance and success is a testament to the role Ritzbury plays in shaping young athletes and in building a culture of health and wellbeing for the country.”