Confusion at schools relay athletics as sponsor quits

By Susil Premalal

A leading corporate sponsor that had supported the inter-school Sir John Tarbat Athletics Championships for Junior and Senior meets for the past 12 years has decided to withdraw its sponsorship from 2026 leaving next month’s inter-school relay meet in confusion.

It is understood that the sudden withdrawal of the unnamed commercial partner without prior notice, has created significant challenges for the organisers as preparations for the relay competitions are already underway.

More than 5000 athletes from 200 schools are expected to contest the Sri Lanka Schools Athletics Association’s third edition of the inter-school Sir John Tarbat Relay Championship from May 21 to 23 at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium in Diyagama.

This will be the first national-level schools athletics competition conducted in 2026.

The championship will be held across five age categories—Under-12, Under-14, Under-16, Under-18 and Under-20—for both boys and girls.

In addition, the Sir John Tarbat Junior Athletics Championship (Provincial Meet) is scheduled to be held in June and July, with the national-level finals planned for December.

The Sir John Tarbat senior meet is expected to take place in September.

The proposed dates for these competitions have already been submitted to the Ministry of Education for approval.