Standard Chartered first-ever global running event in Sri Lanka today

The Sri Lankan leg of the Standard Chartered Belt and Road Relay, will take place at the Arcade, Independence Square today. The first-ever global running event spanning the Belt and Road initiative, the Standard Chartered Belt and Road Relay aims to highlight the bank’s continued commitment to Belt and Road, and the positive impact of the initiative to communities and businesses globally.

The Relay is being led by eight staff athletes from Standard Chartered, selected from the bank’s diverse footprint in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe and the Americas. These athletes will participate in running events across 44 Belt and Road markets within a 90-day period. To date they have completed 12 countries. For the Sri Lankan leg, the athletes will be joined by representatives from Standard Chartered, Sri Lanka. Commenting on the initiative, Standard Chartered Group Chief Executive Bill Winters said, “The Belt and Road Initiative is the most ambitious and far-reaching project of its kind in the world today. We are present in two-thirds of Belt and Road markets, and our rich heritage, deep local knowledge and unparalleled connectivity mean that we’re ideally placed to help our partners, clients and communities to make the most out of the initiative. By traversing these markets on foot and engaging local clients, governments, media and communities, our Standard Chartered Belt and Road Relay athletes will showcase our commitment to be the One Bank for the Belt and Road.”The Standard Chartered Belt and Road Relay kicked off in Hong Kong on 17 February, in conjunction with the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, which is one of the biggest sports events in the city with over 74,000 runners, and end in China on 11 May after the Belt and Road Forum. “Sri Lanka is proud to be one of the Belt and Road markets and being part of this historic initiative. We believe this relay will expand our footprint across Asia and look forward to the relay 12 March,” said Standard Chartered Sri Lanka CEO Bingumal Thewarathanthri. 

The Belt and Road initiative is core to Standard Chartered. In 2017, the bank committed additional financing for Belt and Road projects of at least $ 20 billion by 2020, and was involved in more than 50 Belt and Road deals worth more than $ 10 billion across a range of products and services.To follow the progress of the Standard Chartered Belt and Road Relay, or for more information on the Belt and Road initiative, please visit www.sc.com/beltandroadrelay.