COLOMBO, Aug 8: Some 808 athletes from 37 Asian countries including Pakistan and India eill compete in the Asian Athletics Championships, which begin in the Sri Lankan capital here Friday.

The championship is Sri Lanka’s biggest international sporting event, being hosted at a cost of Rupees 216 million and would be opened by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe at Colombo’s Sugathadasa Stadium.

It includes tree-hour inaugural extravaganza. Around 5,000 school children from across the island have been practising drill displays while some 250 drummers are set to keep the tempo up at the ceremony, which will end with a display of Chinese fireworks.

Officials said around 1,000 security personnel will keep an eye in and around the stadium where athletes from countries including Pakistan, Iran, Bahrain, Bhutan and China, Japan, Palestine, Vietnam and Yemen will be participating.

The Asian athletics championship is a selection round for participating countries to choose their athletic team for the next Asian Games.—PPI