Rotaract Champions League retains an aura of fellowship and peace
The Rotaract Champions League 2019 took place on February 2, 9 and 10, returning for a fifth triumphant year.
The event, which was held at the Royal Sports Complex, CR & FC Futsal Courts and the University of Colombo grounds brought together Rotaractors from all across the island with the singular aim of using sports as an instrument to prevent conflict and promote peace and conflict resolution.
With a participation of over 1,200 Rotaractors from 57 clubs representing the Northern, North Western, Central, Uva and Western provinces of Sri Lanka, the tournament featured an array of sports, both indoors and outdoors which included badminton, carom, chess, table tennis, futsal on day one, cricket, tag rugby and basketball on day 2, and track and field and tug of war on the final day.
At the end of the three days full of friendly rivalry, camaraderie, and sportsmanship, the championship shield was awarded to Rotaract Club of Excellence while the Rotaract Clubs of General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University and Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology secured the first and second runners up positions respectively.the event also marked the unveiling of the Adhil Bakeer Makar Memorial Shield in memory of the late Adhil Bakeer Markar who was an inspiring potential future leader and the official Sri Lankan Youth delegate who represented Sri Lanka at the 68th United Nations General Assembly.
The vision of DRR Rtr. IPP Amjath Yoosuf was to use sports as a means to bring people together, to utilize sports as a tool to promote peace and social cohesion fighting against exclusion and marginalisation prevailing in the society and pave the opportunity for Rotaractors to inspire the future through their exemplary conduct. It was achieved, it was proved and endorsed by the words of those who were present at the event.
“It is important to keep the mind and body physically fit and I am particularly happy to see clubs from Jaffna, Kandy, and Colombo together to show the fellowship of Rotaract” were the words of District Rotaract Committee Chairperson
– Rtn. PHF Sathiyeandra Tharmakularajasingham who shared his thoughts after witnessing the Rotaractors bond over sports bringing forth hope for a future filled with peace and social-cohesion.
RCL is more than medals, shields, and glory – it’s the epitome of fair play and sportsmanship which as an event keeps getting bigger and better year after year. After witnessing the inspiring and contagious energy of the Rotaractors this year, Youth Service chair of RID 3220 Rtn. PHF G. S. Sylvester proposed to take RCL 2020 to an international level by inviting overseas Rotaract clubs to form an even more remarkable event that promotes peace, social cohesion and global unity through sports.
Sports have a notable history of bringing together people of different backgrounds and ideologies for a shared moment of unadulterated joy and solidarity. RCL illustrates this very point in undiminishing detail each year. As the curtain falls on RCL 2019, Rotaractors are already left with great excitement for that of the incoming year, which will surely prove to be as, if not more, eventful than the one that passed.