The inaugural ceremony of the 14th Defence Services Games was held recently at the Wave n’ Lake Naval Hall, Welisara under the patronage of the Deputy Minister of Defence, Major General Aruna Jayasekara (Retd).
This year’s Games, hosted by the Sri Lanka Navy, have been organized under the guidance and direction of the current Chairman of the Defence Services Games Board and Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Damian Fernando.
Accordingly, the opening ceremony of the Defence Services Games commenced after the lighting of the Olympic flame. The presence of four (04) veteran athletes representing Sri Lanka at the event was also a highlight, and they were presented with tokens of appreciation in appreciation of their exceptional contribution to the field of sports.
The Deputy Minister of Defence officially inaugurated the Defence Services Games, stating that the main objective of the Games is to promote unity, sportsmanship, camaraderie and mutual trust among the armed forces, as well as to promote sportsmanship.
Over 4,000 athletes are scheduled to participate in 39 sports events at this year’s Defence Services Games. Athletes representing the tri-services make a significant contribution to bringing national and international sporting achievements to the motherland, and accordingly, the 2026/2027 Defence Services Games are expected to identify many talented new athletes from the tri-services and provide them with the opportunity to represent Sri Lanka in national and international competitions in the future.
The Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Nilantha Premaratne, the Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Bandu Edirisinghe, along with a group of senior officers of the tri-services, as well as a group of sportsmen and sportswomen, participated in this grand occasion.
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