Sport for Peace, Education, Empowerment and Development (SPEED), a national Non-Governmental Organization in partnership with the Rugby Football Union of Sri Lanka, and the Eastern Provincial Council organized a tag rugby training, 6th April 2016, in Paddithidel Maha Vidyalaya, Pattithidal, Muthur, Sri Lanka ,as part of the events organised to celebrate the international day of Sport for Development and Peace.

The rugby training was organised with the participation of over 300 students from four schools in Muthur, and with the intention to raise awareness on good practices, empower children of the Eastern province, and to promote the sport of rugby outside of Colombo and urban Sri Lanka. Additional Director/Physical Education, Muthur Zone Mr. A.W.M. Jawath, Manager (Women's Rugby Development) of Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union Mr. Tanuja Kulathunge, Chairman of SPEED Mr. Priyantha Pathirana, principals of schools and teachers attended the event.

Minisiter for Sport Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara expressed, “Sport is a way to build peace, and bring people together. The international day of Sport for Development and Peace has recognised these two concepts. In Sri Lanka we need to take sport development to the rural communities, this event is a step towards it.”

The international day of Sport for Development and Peace was established to be celebrated on the 6th of April, by the The United Nations General Assembly in its Resolution (A/RES/67/296). It was organised with the intention of encouraging and facilitating  States, relevant international organizations, and international, regional and national sport organisations, civil society including, non-governmental organizations and the private sector, to cooperate, observe and raise awareness of the role of sport in development and peace building.

Declaration of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development also acknowledges the role of sport for social progress and recognizes the growing contribution of sport to the realization of development and peace in its promotion of tolerance and respect.

Chairman of SPEED said, “The international day of sport development for peace provides an important platform to advocate more investment in sport, related infrastructure and quality physical education for youth among government.”

“The Day is an opportunity to promote sport, and to introduce sports such as rugby which were formerly restricted to the urban society which in turn created exclusion of those living in rural Sri Lanka. This event is such an effort, to take sports outside of cities, and to the villages to ensure that sport is inclusive to all, and non-discriminatory. Most importantly we seek to create awareness on sport being a solution to bridge bridges between communities to contribute to development.”