Mount Lavinia Hotel: Rotary Beach Handball Festival at the Paradise Beach

The Rotary Club of Mount Lavinia has been organizing many fundraising projects and community development events over the past six decades.

This year their endeavours to promote and develop ethnic harmony between cultural, social and religious backgrounds of children in schools, focused on a sport called Handball. Working the idea with a two-fold objective:

· Promote Handball in schools and young professional through the Rotary movement all over the island

· Tournament experience for Beach Handball Teams

All Interact clubs in schools and Rotaract Clubs have been invited to participate in this event. Before the festival a training course has been placed for all the players.

As Anura Dewapura, General Manager of MLH states, “The International World Games Association (IWGA) announced that Beach Handball will be in the official sports programme of the next World Games 2013 in Cali/Colombia. Hence it is only befitting that we support the sport by events as such so it encourages youth to shoot for the stars.”

There will be two open events for Men and Women that will be held on 29^th and 30^th September 2012 from 9am to 6.30pm at the Paradise Beach of Mount Lavinia Hotel.

Gihan Dalpethado, Project Chairman of the Rotary Beach Handball Festival, said “this is a wonderful opportunity for young Interactors from different social, religious, cultural backgrounds to get to know each other and create a better understanding through sport. He also said this is a good opportunity to promote handball in schools which also gives another opportunity for clubs teams to participate in much needed tournaments. “The day will also consist of fun activities and food stalls so that it is more of festival rather than just a tournament,” he further states.

The event has been successful due to few organizations. Namely:

· Venue Sponsor Mount Lavinia Hotel

· Co Platinum Sponsor – XL Energy Drink of Nicholson Trading Ltd

· Co Platinum Sponsors - Singer Sri Lanka

· Sanctioned by the Sri Lanka Handball Federation

Today beach handball is an integral part of the International Handball Federation.

For further information on the Beach Festival at the Paradise Beach please call Gihan on 0728 399257.

The Head table consists of from left:

1. Mr Janaka Nanayakkara – Group Captain Sri Lanka Handball Federation

2. Mr Gihan Dalpethado – Project Chairman Rotary Beach Handball Festival

3. MR Gamini Jayasinghe – Secretary Sri Lanka Handball Federation

4. Mr Nihal Gunaratne – President of the Rotary Club of Mount Lavinia