Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Russian Federation Shobini Gunasekera, participated as Guest of Honour at a ceremony held at the Russian Olympic Committee to present certificates to the first officially certified cricket umpires in the Russian Federation. President of the Russian Cricket Union, Igor Kazikov, was also in attendance at the ceremony.
The Ambassador congratulated the twelve newly certified umpires, which also included a Sri Lankan medical student Morayalage Supun Dilshan Wijesinghe from the RUDN Peoples Friendship University, and underscored the importance of integrity, impartiality and sound judgement in upholding the spirit and fair play of cricket.
Noting that 2027 marks the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and the Russian Federation, Ambassador Gunasekera highlighted the potential of cricket and sports cooperation to further strengthen bilateral relations and people-to-people ties. She reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s readiness to share its expertise and experience and support the development of cricket in Russia, including through training, technical cooperation and exchanges.
The ceremony was preceded by discussions involving Ambassador Gunasekera, President Igor Kazikov, representatives of the Russian Olympic Committee and the Moscow Cricket Federation on exploring new avenues for cooperation in cricket and sports. The Russian side expressed appreciation for Sri Lanka’s friendship and support for the further development of cricket in the Russian Federation.
