Army Sportsmen & Women Carry Away DSG Championship for 5th Time

‘Defence Services Games-2016’ (DSG), the annual joint platform for tri service sportsmen and women to show shining athletic colours and their talents in sports while competing with their fellow-service comrades in one specific spot, came to an exciting close this evening (22) during a colourful ceremony at the Panagoda gymnasium where HE the President Maithripala Sirisena graced as the Chief Guest for the closing ceremony.

The closely-contested 9th DSG of the year 2016 in sequence which saw its birth in the year 2003 as a collective recognition of sports talents of tri-servicemen, awarded the overall Championship-2016 to the achievements of Army sportsmen and women who emerged champions in 15 games and events (15 Men’s & 7 Women’s), out of a total of 35 in the entire tournament with specific men and women’s categories. The Army earlier secured the championship four times (2003, 2004, 2007, 2008) before they grabbed this year’s supremacy too.

Talents of most-recently recruited Army personnel as well as other young and budding soldiers in many a sphere of sports were distinctive throughout the whole of the tournament, following meticulous selections, made to the DSG by the Army Directorate of Sports in close consultation with the Commander of the Army. This year’s DSG was launched by the Sri Lanka Air Force with the support of other sister services.

Months of competitive sports and events of the tournament after its commencement took place in March this year saw more than 800 tri-servicemen and 400 women vying closely against one another in many sports and games under the supervision of veterans in the field of specific events.

Presence of State Minister of Defence, Hon. Ruwan Wijayawardane, Secretary of Defence, Eng. Karunasena Hettiarachchi, Chief of Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Kolitha Gunatilake, Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Crishanthe De Silva, Navy Commander Vice Admiral Ravindra Wijeyagunarathne and Commander of the Air Force Air Marshal Gagan Bulathsinghala, added dignity and recognition to this mammoth show of sports and provided a stimulant to all budding sportsmen in the services.

The vibrant closing ceremony which saw a few of the final athletic events occurring was also the scene of a few colourful military band displays. The evening's spectacle came to a formal close as HE the President Maithripala Sirisena as the Chief Guest for the day declared the DSG-2016 closed, followed by rectal of the national anthem.

The next edition of the Defence Games will be hosted by the Sri Lanka Army in 2017 and it was symbolized through the handing over of the DSG Flag to the Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Crishanthe De Silva by the Commander of the Air Force Air Marshal Gagan Bulathsinghala at the conclusion of the final ceremony.

Sri Lanka Army in the tournament won 120 Gold medals and Sri Lanka Navy won 95 Gold medals. Sri Lanka Air Force claimed 84 Gold medals. The number of Silver and Bronze medals won by Army achievers stood at 133 Silver medals and 127 Bronze medals respectively.  

The Army achievements in the DSG-2016 are as below: