Arrangements have been made to welcome Rumesh Tharanga—who won the gold medal in the javelin throw at the Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow, Scotland—and Palitha Bandara—who won the silver medal in the para-discus throw event—on a red carpet at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake this afternoon.
Rumesh Tharanga—who quenched Sri Lanka’s twenty-year thirst for a Commonwealth gold medal—and Palitha Bandara—who secured a Commonwealth silver medal in the discus throw event for the second consecutive time—departed from London Heathrow Airport yesterday and are scheduled to arrive at Katunayake’s Bandaranaike Airport at 4:50 PM today; a special ceremony to honor them has been organized at the VIP terminal.
Although plans had initially been made to organize a series of celebratory events and a vehicle procession at major intersections along the route from the airport to Colombo’s Independence Square to welcome Rumesh Tharanga and Palitha Bandara, it has been decided to cancel these arrangements. This decision was reached in consideration of the extreme fatigue the group—including Rumesh Tharanga—would be experiencing after a journey of nearly twenty-seven hours, involving flights from Scotland to London, London to Dubai, and Dubai to Katunayake.
This welcoming ceremony is being held under the patronage of Sports Minister Sunil Kumar Gamage and Deputy Minister Sugath Thilakaratne, with the event being enlivened by special Sri Lanka Air Force bands—representing Rumesh Tharanga—and welcoming dance troupes.
The javelin throw gold medal won by Rumesh Tharanga—marking one of Sri Lanka’s most outstanding achievements in international athletics—stands as the country’s fifth-ever Commonwealth gold medal and the first-ever gold won in the javelin throw event at the Commonwealth Games. Also noteworthy is Palitha Bandara’s silver medal win in the Para-discus throw event, where he achieved a personal best performance.
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