78th Mount Lavinia Two Mile Sea Swim ready to take to the waters

Friday, 20 February 2015 00:21 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Akhry Ameer - General Secretary SLASU (left) speaking at the Media Conference One of the oldest open water swimming competitions in Asia, the Mount Lavinia Two Mile Sea Swim will be held for the 78th year on 28 February and 1 March. Organised by the Sri Lanka Aquatic Sports Union and hosted by the Mount Lavinia Hotel, the event draws a large number of swimmers of all categories from across the island as well as from a few neighbouring countries. With a record breaking number of around 1,500 participants, the event will be held on two days to accommodate the large gathering. Day one will see the newly introduced Veterans’ 1 km event and the two mile swim for Women and Junior categories while day two is reserved for the Men’s Open event. The event will commence at 8:30 a.m. on both days. The Awards Ceremony will be held after the conclusion of the Men’s event on the second day. The mascot ‘Wallace the Whale’ symbolises the Scottish heritage that sits at the epitome to the Mount Lavinia Hotel’s history and it is based on the magnificent Blue Whale which is a common sight along Sri Lanka’s coast, hence entwining it as an iconic symbol of good luck for an event of such a calibre.

Commenting on this event Mount Lavinia Hotel Resident Manager Harinda Weerasinghe stated, “The Mount Lavinia Two Mile Sea Swim is iconic to Mount Lavinia Hotel as well as the location. The event and the location are synonymous to one another and there is no other venue that can carry the charm and history that is associated with it. We are proud to be continuously affiliated with this decades-long tradition.” “Open water swimming has gained much recognition and popularity after its introduction to the Olympics in 2008. The Two Mile Sea Swim dates to many years before that and the Sri Lanka Aquatic Sports Union is proud to be the organising body of such an iconic event. We have seen the tradition being passed down from generation to generation where we see winners emerging from the same family, father-son combinations and repeat victories,” commented Sri Lanka Aquatic Sports Union President Nethru Nanayakkara. Sri Lanka Aquatic Sports Union (SLASU) is the governing body of Aquatic Sports in Sri Lanka for the aquatic sports of swimming, diving, water polo, synchronised swimming and open water swimming. Participation for the event will be through registered clubs and schools of SLASU and entries will close on 25 February.