IAAF chief Diac to visit Lanka

Bernard PERERA

Lamin Diac, head of the world athletic governing body International Association of Athletic Federations (TAAF) will make a three day visit to Sri Lanka. He is due to arrive in the island on October 19 and will be in Colombo till October 22.

Diac will be the first ever head of IAAF to visit Sri Lanka to see the century old athletic association of Sri Lanka.

Lamin Diac during his stay in the island will meet the President of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa and several other senior officials of the field of athletics.

Diac has highly commended the role played by President Rajapaksa to promote track and field sports during his tenure as President of Athletic Association of Sri Lanka.

In fact President Rajapaksa is first and only President of a national athletic association to become a head of State.

President of IAAf Diac will use his time to inspect the sports complex which is under construction in Biyagama.

This complex too is a programme which got the fullest co-operation of President of Sri Lanka. His visit to this venue will be to get the first hand information of the construction work that is under way.

Diac also has promised release financial assistance for the ongoing project at Biyagama.

Lamin Diac also hopes to meet officials of the Athletics Association of Sri Lanka and also to meet VVIPs of other sports governing bodies in Sri Lanka with a view to promote the island of Sri Lanka in to world sporting map.

His visit will definitely be of great importance to all involved in sports specially the athletic as he hopes to meet local athletes too during his short stay here.