The country’s biggest international mass participation sporting event, So Sri Lanka IRONMAN 70.3 Colombo, which recently concluded, has been voted in yet again by athletes as one of the most satisfying races in the world.

An online survey conducted by IRONMAN Global after the race held on 24 February saw 91.70% overall athlete satisfaction, based on their experience from the point of registration to the after party.  With over 69% likely to recommend the event to friends and family, seeing Sri Lanka as a viable venue for international mass participation sporting events.  Speaking of the recognition Pro-Am Serendib Director and Event/Race Director Rajan Thananayagam said: “We punched above our weight to record an Overall Athletes Satisfaction Rating of 91.70%, surpassing many other regions in the world including North America, Europe, Asia, and South America. This is the second year in a row and we are humbled by this result. We need to thank and congratulate the team in Sri Lanka behind this who delivered a world-class event. While we have moved up by 0.2 percentage points compared to our 2018 athlete satisfaction rating, we recorded 3.58 percentage points above global standards which is 88.12%. This is a big deal for Sri Lanka as we have proven yet again our capability and capacity to host world-class mass participation endurance sporting events in Sri Lanka meeting the highest standards.” The Athlete Satisfaction Survey is conducted by IRONMAN Global after each event independently.

The first edition of this event in 2018 was recognised regionally and globally by athlete choice awards. Based on the athlete satisfaction survey of 2018 edition of IRONMAN 70.3 Colombo, the event has been awarded an Athlete Choice Award ranked no. 2 in Asia Pacific region and ranked in the top 10 in the world. In addition, AsiaTri, a leading forum for growing the sport of triathlon in Asia, awarded 2018 IRONMAN 70.3 Colombo ‘Best Inaugural Long Distance Race in Asia.’

So Sri Lanka IRONMAN 70.3 Colombo is organised by Pro-Am Serendib, a Sri Lankan sports event management company, which was born to realise the potential for Sri Lanka to become a destination of choice for international endurance sporting events. The title sponsor of the event is Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau. Partner organisations include Shangri-La Colombo, MAS, Sri Lankan Airlines, Ceylinco, MTV/MBC Group, Hayleys Tours, Advantis, Asiri,  Wijeya Group, SIS, Kantra LMRB, Emerging Media, Rotaract, Strategy, Honda, RedBull, Inspire X, Bernard’s, Rainbow, Spinners, the Triathlon Club Colombo and 230i.

Source: http://www.ft.lk/travel-tourism/Chamber-of-Tourism-and-Industry-Chief–on-how-to-promote-domestic-air-travel/27-675385