Army Colours Night on July 19

An Army Colours night is scheduled to be held on July 19 at Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa stadium.

A total of 740 Army sportsmen and sportswomen will be awarded with colours for exemplary performance. Of them, 269 will receive Colours while 471 will receive Laurels.

Under the guidance given by Army Commander Lt. General Mahesh Senanayake, the Sri Lanka Army has produced a number of skilled athletes for the nation.

Army sportsmen and sportswomen take part in Inter Regiment Security Services Sports Meets, and in national and international sporting events.

The Sri Lanka Army was founded in 1949 just after Independence from the British and soon after, a separate Board, the ‘Sports Management Board of Sri Lanka Army was formed on December 12, 1950. However, this was renamed as the Directorate of Army Sports in October 2003. Up to now, 41 sports committees function under the Directorate.

From 1949 to 2004, five Director Generals of Sports, nine Sport Directors and 51 Officers have been appointed as Officers in Charge of the Sports Management Board of the Directorate.

Similarly, a modern sports complex is being constructed at the premises of the Army Cantonment with the intention of developing the skills and abilities of sportsmen and sportswomen in the Sri Lanka Army.

Sri Lanka Army had also produced a large number of accomplished sportsmen and sportswomen such as Lieutenant Duncan White, Susanthika Jayasinghe, and Para Olympic medallist Staff Sergeant Pradeep Sanjaya. Hence, the four Olympic medallists who have brought glory to Sri Lanka are sportsmen and sportswomen from the Sri Lanka Army.

The main reason for holding the Army Colours Night is to recognise the sportsmen and sportswomen in the Sri Lanka Army. The very first ‘Army Colours Night’ was held in August 1968 and the second Army Colours Night was held in 1997.

After the end of the war in 2009, as per the request made by the then Director of the Directorate of Army Sports, the Army Colours Night is held annually.