PEACE CUP" thrills Eastern Football fans

The Soccer Carnival, organized jointly by SCOPP, the Eastern Governor and the Ministry of Education and Sports of the Eastern Province proved to be a resounding success, attracting large crowds. The event served as a boost to the game of soccer and young sportsmen of the area.
The Soccer Carnival was made possible following the liberation of the East by the government, ridding the area of terrorists. All this while, the soccer fans seldom had a chance to see games featuring teams from various parts of the country. The programme organized by SCOPP proved to be a never to be missed chance for th4e fans to witness the game being played at their doorsteps. Large crowds of fans thronged the McHeyzer Stadium in Trincomalee. SCOPP was able to put together a team featuring players from the Wanni, Mannar and the Jaffna district.
This Soccer Carnival was organized as by the Social Affairs Section of SCOPP as part of the Peace Secretariat's initiative to promote 'peace through sports'.
In the Soccer Carnival staged at the McHezyer Stadium in Trincomalee on 05th April 2008, a Colombo Combined Multi Ethnic School team and an Army Team that played in the FA cup tournament participated from Colombo. A combined schools team, a youth team and the Trincomalee Football League team participated from Trincomalee.The northern region was represented by a team drawn from the Wanni,Mannar,Vavuniya and Jaffna districts.The players were drawn to the carnival despite the various constraints posed by the conflict situation mainly due to their interest in the game.
The first match was between the Trincomalee and Colombo team The Trincomalee team played a sustained game despite the fact that the Colombo team had in their ranks members of the under 19 national squad. The Trincomalee team beat the Colombo team 2- 1 goals.
The Chief Guests were conducted to the special dais by a ban around 3.00 p.m. Four School bands took part. Members of the Trinco Women's Football team welcomed the guests with garlands. DSG - SCOPP Mr. C S Poologasingham and the Eastern Province Secretary Balasingham participated as chief guests in the event.
After the Chief Guests raised the national, provincial and sports flags, the match between the Trincomalee youth team and the Wanni North team took place. The Wanni North team was able to overcome the better trained Trinco team, winning the match by 3-0 goals.
The Captain of the Wanni Combined Team, S. Sivaruban said "We have come here surmounting many obstacles. We are unable to fine tune sporting talents due to the war. We could even become national players with proper training and facilities. Players in the East are now able to get the facilities which we lack." He expressed the fervent hope that very soon the soccer players of the North should also be able to enjoy these facilities.
Finally, the match between the Trinco League and the FA Cup Army team was staged. Both sides were evenly matched; the Trinco League showed much determination and finally finished the game with a goalless draw.
AT the Prize giving, DSG - SCOPP delivered the welcome address, speaking in all three languages, stressing on the need for peace and the role of sports in fostering understanding and goodwill. The keynote address was delivered by President of the Trinco Football League, DIG, Upali Hewage. He called on SCOPP to organize more events of this nature, promoting goodwill and understanding among people.
SCOPP organized a cricket match in Colombo last year as part of its programme of promoting peace through sports, featuring combined Schools teams from the North and Colombo. The event attracted large crowds, notably, the people of the North currently living in and around Colombo.
SCOPP has also plans to promote sporting skills of women of the North and East through an exchange of women's soccer and cricket teams.