Sri Lanka hosts the second South Asian leg of Hangzhou Asian Games Fun Run on Feb 7. [Photo/thepapare.com]

The Sri Lankan leg of the Hangzhou Asian Games Fun Run took place at the picturesque Port City being built by China on the shores of Colombo on Feb 7, local media outlets reported.

Delegations from the Olympic Council of Asia and Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee, as well as senior officials from the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka and a number of international sports federations, attended the event.

Foreigners were made welcome as more than 700 participants, including 300 children from five local schools, took part in a 2-kilometer fun run, underlining the true meaning behind the Fun Run – for the public and societies across Asia to feel the spirit of the Asian Games.

"The Hangzhou Asian Games is an important sporting event for Sri Lanka and we are happy to host the Fun Run," said Maxwell de Silva, Sri Lanka NOC Secretary General, in his welcome address.

The Sri Lanka NOC also ran a Q&A session for the five schools with questions centered on the Asian Games and its history. Organizers presented sports equipment and books to all the participating schools, along with prizes and certificates for the top three boys and girls who participated in the Fun Run.

Sri Lanka was the second stop in the South Asian leg of the Asian Games Fun Run, with Bhutan and Qatar coming up on Feb 14 on the West and South Asian circuit.

Students dash out from the starting line of the 2-km fun run event in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Feb 7. [Photo/thepapare.com]