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Sri Lanka Army Sports Club, coached by former Sri Lanka cricketer Ajantha Mendis, are just one step away from gaining promotion to play in the Major Club tournaments.

Since their relegation to Tier B for the 2024 season, Army SC have in 2026 dominated the division, winning both the 50-Over as well as the T20 finals to place themselves in a strong position to gain promotion to Major Club in 2027. They went through both tournaments unbeaten, winning all five group matches, the semi-finals, and final in the 50-Over, and followed it up with four wins (one no-result) in the group stage and victories in the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final of the T20.

In the 50-Over final, Army SC beat Galle CC by 23 runs, and in the T20 final played on Saturday, they beat Leo CC by six wickets to complete a fine double.

According to the new points system adapted for domestic cricket, a club’s performance and final placing is determined on the total weightage of points garnered from the three tournaments – 50-over, T20, and 3-day.

Having won the 50-over and T20 with an unbeaten record, Army SC are well in front of their rivals and, according to coach Mendis, they are on top with five points in their bag.

‘If we finish three or four in the 3-Day League, it will be difficult for the other clubs to catch up,’ Mendis told the Daily FT. The 3-Day League is expected to commence in November.

Speaking of Army SC’s success, Mendis, who is coaching a team for the first time, said: ‘It was an all- round performance. Although there were no outstanding individual contributions, it was more of a team effort. We made changes to suit the opposition and the wickets we played. We had about 18 players and managed them in such a way that they were always fresh when they entered a match.’

‘There were instances where we had rested players like Asela Gunaratne and Thisara Perera (two former Sri Lankan cricketers) and won matches. Every player was prepared to perform at any given time. In the T20 final, we kept Asela out but the others delivered. The experience that players like Asela and Thisara brought to the team was invaluable. Success was achieved because everyone in the team wanted to accomplish something. The challenge was to always play positive cricket. Every player took the responsibility and performed 100%. That was our success,’ he added.

Mendis said that when the season began, their goal was to win all three Tier B formats.

‘As we went along, the team improved its performances. We always planned match by match but while the tournaments continued, we concentrated on the points system because they are given on the basis of percentage wise,’ he said.

Describing his role as head coach, Mendis, who is an ICC-qualified Level 3 coach, said: ‘I looked after the player management. Individually, each player was given plans. Previously, players batted only for 20 or 30 minutes at the nets. We changed it completely so that a batsman batted at least a total of 10 hours for a week. For a day he bats for around 1½ to 2 hours.’

‘Since I joined the Army, I know what their culture is and the requirements of the players. If you manage the players properly, it can lead to success. It is a job which requires a lot of patience,’ he added.

Mendis said that the team got a huge back up from the Army Commander downwards. ‘They had a huge involvement in our success. The Commander even came to witness the final which was a tremendous boost to the team,’ he said.

As winners, Army SC picked up a cheque for Rs. 750,000, while runner-up Leo CC received Rs. 500,000. Army SC’s Captain Shehada Zoysa took the Player of the Final award of Rs. 100,000. Other individual awards were won by Yashoda Mendis of Kandy Customs SC for Best Batsman (Rs. 200,000), Ishan Abeysekera of Navy SC for Best Bowler (Rs. 200,000), and Kavinda Ishwara of Ragama CC for Most Valuable Player (Rs. 300,000). The awards were presented by match referee Roshan Jaymon.

Sri Lanka must move beyond simply chasing higher tourist volumes and focus on evidence-based, sustainable and higher-value growth, Australian High Commissioner Matthew Duckworth and New Zealand High Commissioner David Pine said, as both countries pledged deeper engagement with the island’s tourism industry.

Addressing the 46th Annual General Meeting of the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) last Friday, both envoys framed tourism as extending beyond its immediate economic contribution, positioning travel as a mechanism for boosting people-to-people links, trade and investment.

Duckworth said Sri Lanka was at a pivotal point in its tourism journey, with renewed international interest, strong natural and cultural assets and improving access to tourism data.

‘The question for all of you isn’t whether Sri Lanka will grow as a tourism destination. It’s how it will grow, and how you want your industry to shape the future of tourism in this country,’ he said.

Drawing on Australia’s own tourism experience, Duckworth cautioned that natural attractions alone were insufficient to guarantee sustainable growth.

He said Australia had learned that environmental protection, community participation and reliable data had to be embedded in tourism planning rather than treated as secondary considerations.

‘For a long time, Australia didn’t get this entirely right,’ he said, noting that the sector had once been fragmented, with inconsistent marketing, limited data and planning driven by short-term opportunities.

Australia subsequently adopted approaches including visitor limits, environmentally sensitive accommodation, community engagement and systematic monitoring of tourism’s environmental, social and economic impacts.

‘Our destinations became more valuable not because they were heavily developed, but because they were carefully protected and managed through thoughtful planning and evidence-based policy,’ Duckworth said.

He also disclosed that Australia, through its local partner, was planning to work with SLAITO to strengthen the use of tourism data, including visitor exit surveys, to better understand traveller behaviour, spending patterns, motivations and expectations.

‘This shift underpins our partnership with Sri Lanka too. Because truly understanding your market is essential to growing it well,’ he said.

The Australian envoy highlighted the rapid expansion of travel between the two countries, saying over 100,000 Australians visited Sri Lanka last year. He pointed to the launch of Jetstar’s direct Melbourne-Colombo service in August as a significant development, with the route already operating at between 90% and 95% capacity.

‘The link between Colombo and Melbourne, connecting the world’s largest and second-largest Sri Lankan diaspora communities, is a real opportunity for everyone to build on,’ he said.

Duckworth said tourism was already contributing around 8% of Sri Lanka’s GDP and over 10% of foreign exchange earnings, while supporting more than 200,000 direct jobs and substantially more indirectly.

He also stressed that sustainability could have a direct commercial value, noting that Australia had found visitors were willing to pay more for authentic, low-impact experiences.

‘So sustainability became, for us, not just an environmental choice; but a commercial one,’ he said.

Duckworth said Australia would continue supporting Sri Lanka’s efforts to build an inclusive, sustainable and globally competitive tourism sector.

He said Australia has invested around $ 50 million over the past decade in development cooperation linked to tourism, including support for tourism policy, resilience planning, skills development and greater participation of women and marginalised groups in the sector.

‘We stand with you and we will continue working with this sector to help empower you to deliver for this country,’ Duckworth said.

New Zealand High Commissioner David Pine described tourism as ‘one of the most powerful forms of diplomacy, noting that it allows people to experience another country not through headlines or secondhand impressions, but through direct, lived experiences like meeting local people, tasting local food, and engaging with local culture firsthand.

He said this kind of genuine understanding between citizens is what ultimately strengthens bilateral relationships far beyond what Government agreements or business partnerships alone can achieve, making tourism a cornerstone of New Zealand’s broader vision for its ties with Sri Lanka.

Pine also outlined a sharp rise in New Zealand visitor numbers following a joint push to expand the market.

From a low base of around 6,000 arrivals, Sri Lanka recorded more than 13,000 New Zealand visitors last year, with the figure projected to reach 20,000 this year. The High Commissioner said the longer-term target remained 50,000 annual arrivals, potentially within three to five years.

Pine said the focus should not be limited to visitor numbers, but should also encompass higher standards, sustainability and inclusion.

He identified awareness of Sri Lanka in New Zealand as one of the biggest constraints to the bilateral relationship, despite strong goodwill and positive experiences among those who visit.

‘If I had to identify the single biggest challenge facing the New Zealand-Sri Lanka relationship today, it would be awareness,’ Pine said.

He said promotional cooperation involving the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB), including the inclusion of New Zealand in Australian promotional programs, was helping expand the market, while brands such as Dilmah were also contributing to awareness of Sri Lanka among New Zealand consumers.

Pine said annual growth rates in New Zealand arrivals had been between roughly 67% and 100% over the past year, describing the trend as evidence of the potential available in the market.

He also noted that visitor flows could become a catalyst for broader economic engagement.

‘Tourism becomes business, business becomes investment, investment creates opportunities, and the entire relationship grows stronger,’ Pine said.

He pointed to next year’s Sri Lankan cricket tour of New Zealand, marking the centenary of the first cricket match between the two countries, as an opportunity to raise bilateral awareness. ‘School and university sports tours, rugby links and business networks established through sporting connections were also helping deepen ties,’ he added.

The High Commissioner noted they look forward to continuing their work together to ensure more New Zealanders discover Sri Lanka, and vice versa, and that more people in both countries come to appreciate the opportunities this relationship holds.

‘That work is being made easier by the Jetstar service Matthew mentioned, which now connects seamlessly to New Zealand and we’re having some very interesting conversations with airlines about other ways to grow connectivity between our two countries. The potential in this relationship is vast. Our task is simply to make sure more people can see it,’ Pine said. – (CdeS)

Trinity College Hockey outfit created history when they became champions at the 40th All Island Schools Games 2026 Under 20 final when they beat Joseph Vaz Wennappuwa in penalty shootout at the Sri Lanka Hockey Federation Astro Turf, Reid Avenue recently.

This year’s team (2026) has Two Lionsman in M.R.M. Arkam and Gogulnath and two coloursman in Thenuk Ekanayake and Tevin Liyanage.

In the team are also 3 players who represented Sri Lanka Junior U18 Asia cup 2025 held in China and who participated at the 2026 AHF Cup held in Kazakastan. They are Dushen Gunawardana (GK), B. Gogulnath and M.R.M. Arkam. Most outstanding player of the tournament was Captain Mohamed Arkam.

The Champion Trinity U20 Hockey Team 2026: Mohomed Arkam, Trehan Sinnen, Thenuk Ekanayake, Tevin Liyanage, Thejana Gamage, B. Gogulnath, Menod Koralegedara, Dulitha Karunarathne, Lakshan Jayawardhane, Dushen Gunawardhane, Mathisha Gamage, Minuka Bandara, Asama Ranwala, Tharusha Randive, Bawantha Ranathunga, Inodh Koralegedara, Ranuth Dissanayake and Salim Azaad. Master in Charge: Mohomed Zaruk. Coaches: Mohomed Ashraff and Mohomed Rifaz.

Trinity last won the All Island schools Championship in the U-19 category in the year 1982 with a unbeaten record under Trinity Hockey Lion Roshan Rajadurai and became Joint Champs in 1985 under Lionsman Prasad Jinadasa both teams were coached by Paul Jeyaraj former Vice Principal of Trinity College and present Vice Patron of Trinity Hockey Foundation.

Sri Lanka’s apparel industry has built a strong global reputation over several decades. Yet access to international buyers remains uneven.

Large manufacturers have dedicated merchandising teams, design capabilities, established buyer relationships and the resources to participate in international trade fairs. Many small and medium-sized manufacturers do not have the same reach. They may have skilled workers, specialised machinery, quality systems and spare production capacity, but still remain largely invisible to overseas buyers.

The proposed SLCGE Design Hub seeks to address this gap.

On 28 May 2026, the Sri Lanka Chamber of Garment Exporters presented the proposal to Deputy Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Chathuranga Abeysinghe. The concept is to transform the existing SLCGE office from an administrative space into a central platform where member companies can display products, present their capabilities and meet international buyers. SLCGE could also work with the Export Development Board to direct visiting buyer delegations to the Hub.

The real problem is market access

The main constraint facing many apparel SMEs is not production capability. It is access to buyers.

Before placing an order, an international buyer needs to assess production capacity, minimum order quantities, compliance, certifications, lead times, sampling capability and financial reliability. Searching for this information across many individual SMEs takes time and increases transaction costs.

A Chamber-backed platform could make that process easier. Instead of searching for suppliers separately, buyers could compare several manufacturers through one trusted channel.

A JAAF analysis published in 2021 estimated that the SME apparel segment accounted for around 20,000 direct jobs. It also found that about 80% of apparel SMEs at the time obtained business through larger exporters rather than directly from overseas buyers. These figures are a historical benchmark rather than a 2026 estimate, but they highlight the structural market-access challenge.

The wider export trend reinforces the case for finding new buyers. Sri Lanka’s textile and apparel exports were approximately $5.07 billion in 2021 and $5.59 billion in 2022. They fell to $4.54 billion in 2023 before recovering to $4.76 billion in 2024 and $5.02 billion in 2025.

For an SME, even a few additional orders can make a difference. Higher volumes improve factory utilisation and spread fixed costs over a larger production base. This can support worker retention, new investment and product development.

However, the national benefit depends on whether the Hub creates additional exports. Moving an existing order from one Sri Lankan factory to another does not increase national export earnings. The stronger economic case is to attract new buyers, generate new orders and expand total production. Furthermore, if small and medium-scale apparel manufacturers are able to directly access smaller-volume orders placed by international buyers, they would be better positioned to maintain higher profit margins. These additional returns could then be reinvested in innovation, upgrading technological capabilities, maintaining international standards, and adopting more efficient production practices. In turn, this would also help SMEs in the apparel sector expand their production capacity and strengthen their competitiveness.

From exports to regional employment

Sri Lanka’s apparel industry directly employs around 350,000 people. SME factories matter because they can operate beyond the country’s main industrial centres and create employment closer to regional communities.

This creates a possible link between apparel exports, regional incomes and poverty reduction. But the connection should not be overstated.

A Design Hub by itself will not reduce poverty. The economic chain must be clear: buyer introductions should generate new orders; new orders should increase production; higher production should support sustainable jobs and incomes.

The geographic dimension is important. Sri Lanka’s first official National Multidimensional Poverty Index, based on the 2019 Household Income and Expenditure Survey, found that 16% of the population was multidimensionally poor. The rate was 16.6% in rural areas, 4.4% in urban areas and 51.3% in estate areas. More than 80% of people identified as multidimensionally poor lived in rural areas. These are 2019 figures, not current 2026 poverty rates, but they show why the location of new economic opportunities matters.

Employment quality matters as much as numbers. Sustainable gains require decent wages, safe working conditions, skills development and opportunities for progression.

The Hub should therefore track not only export orders, but also jobs created or retained, the location of production, participation by women and young people, training provided and incremental export revenue.

More than a showroom

The Design Hub should not become simply a room displaying garments.

Its physical showroom should be supported by a verified digital platform. A buyer examining a product should be able to see the manufacturer’s production capacity, certifications, machinery, minimum order size, lead time and product-development capability.

Products could also be organised by category – such as sportswear, children’s wear, uniforms, intimates, workwear and specialised products – rather than only by company. This would allow buyers to identify suitable suppliers quickly.

A digital version would extend the Hub beyond Colombo and allow overseas buyers to explore Sri Lankan SMEs without travelling to the country.

In economic terms, this reduces information gaps between buyer and supplier. In commercial terms, it makes SMEs easier to discover and easier to buy from.

The unanswered question: who pays?

The proposal explains what the Hub should do, but it still needs a sustainable financing model.

The 2027 Budget process provides a useful policy opportunity. Budget 2026 already established precedents for public support to improve export market access, including Rs. 250 million for the EDB’s National Export Brand Promotion Plan and a further Rs. 250 million for trade fairs, certification, digital marketing and support for export-oriented SMEs to meet international buyer requirements.

A blended financing model would be more practical than relying on a single source.

Time-bound Government or EDB support could finance the initial fit-out, digital platform, sample library and buyer-promotion infrastructure. Recurring costs could gradually shift towards SLCGE member contributions and income from product displays, training, buyer programmes and market-information services.

Industry partnerships could also support equipment, technology and buyer events. Development-partner programmes could help with export readiness, sustainability, digitalisation and skills development. Closer coordination with EDB buyer missions could also reduce duplication in export promotion.

The principle should be simple: public support, where available, should help establish the platform, but the Hub should progressively build its own operating income.

Measure it from day one

The Hub should have clear performance indicators from the beginning.

It should report the number of international buyers introduced, SMEs connected with them, samples requested, quotations issued, orders confirmed, incremental export revenue generated and jobs supported outside the Western Province.

SLCGE could also create a confidential baseline covering member employment, export turnover, production capacity and geographic distribution. This would make it possible to measure the Hub’s contribution over time.

Ultimately, the Design Hub should be judged by one question, does it connect capable Sri Lankan SMEs with buyers who would otherwise not find them?

If it does, the gains can extend beyond individual factories. New orders can support export earnings, regional employment, household incomes and stronger local economies.

That is where the real value of the SLCGE Design Hub lies.

Huawei recently announced the Peerium Computing Architecture, a new computing architecture for the AI era. The architecture enables processors at the million scale to work as one computer, meeting the ever-growing demand for AI compute.

The Peerium Computing Architecture achieves strong scaling to the million-processor level through nested parallelism, unified memory addressing, and peer interconnect. It breaks through the Turing paradigm with the introduction of Nested BSP (Nested Bulk Synchronous Parallel), extends the von Neumann single-machine architecture, and overturns the master-slave architecture that has prevailed for decades, so that a million processors truly become one larger computer.

UnifiedBus (UB) is the key interconnect technology that makes the Peerium Computing Architecture possible. Built on a single open protocol, UB is a high-speed bus that scales without limit to connect CPUs, NPUs, memory, SSDs, network interface cards (NICs), and switches. With UB, peer interconnect is achieved across compute, storage, and networking.

The Atlas 950 SuperPoD and SuperPoD-based SuperClusters are the first-generation product built on the Peerium Computing Architecture. An Atlas 950 SuperCluster with 256,000 cards is already being deployed, and the Atlas 960 system based on near-packaged optics (NPO) is currently under testing.

Huawei’s Rotating Chairman Eric Xu said: ‘In the AI era, Huawei is drawing on the Peerium Computing Architecture we pioneered to continuously build the SuperPoDs and SuperPod-based SuperClusters that meet customer needs for training and inference, making computing power available everywhere and intelligence accessible to all.’

DFCC Bank has been named the Best Cash Management Bank in Sri Lanka for 2026 by The Asian Banker, recognising the bank’s growing transaction banking capabilities and its continued investment in secure, digitally enabled solutions that give businesses greater visibility and control over their financial operations.

The recognition reflects DFCC Bank’s progress in helping businesses simplify payments and collections, automate reconciliation, manage liquidity and working capital, and make more informed financial decisions.

Central to this proposition is DFCC iConnect, the bank’s integrated payments and cash management platform for corporate, multinational, and small and medium enterprise (SME) customers. The platform enables businesses to manage local and international payments, payroll, supplier settlements, collections, and account information through a secure digital environment.

DFCC iConnect also supports integration with enterprise resource planning systems, automated identification and reconciliation of receipts, real-time account visibility, customised reporting, multi-level authorization, and mobile transaction approval. These capabilities help finance and treasury teams reduce manual processes, strengthen control, and respond more quickly to changing business requirements.

Deputy CEO Shamindra Marcelline said: ‘Being named the Best Cash Management Bank in Sri Lanka is an important recognition of the proposition we have built around the real operating needs of businesses. Payments, collections, and liquidity are central to how an organisation functions every day. Our role is to make those processes simpler, faster, and more secure, while giving customers the visibility and control they need to make sound decisions. This recognition reflects the trust our customers have placed in us and the commitment of the teams who serve them.’

DFCC Bank’s cash management proposition combines digital capability with transaction banking expertise and relationship-led service. This allows the bank to understand the operational requirements of individual businesses and develop solutions suited to their transaction volumes, approval structures, reporting needs and wider financial objectives.

The bank supports large corporates, multinational organisations, Government institutions, and SMEs, recognising that businesses of different sizes require different levels of functionality, integration, and assistance.

Senior Vice President and Head of Wholesale Banking Ishani Palliyaguru said: ‘Effective cash management is ultimately about helping a business know where its money is, move it securely and put it to work more efficiently. That requires more than processing transactions. It requires real-time visibility, automation, strong controls and solutions that connect with the way each organisation operates. We have continued to develop these capabilities while working closely with our clients to reduce complexity and improve their day-to-day financial management.’

The recognition comes as businesses place greater emphasis on digitising financial processes, improving working capital efficiency, and strengthening their ability to operate through changing economic conditions.

DFCC Bank will continue to advance its transaction banking capabilities, using technology, data, and customer insight to help businesses improve efficiency, strengthen financial resilience, and keep growing.