Royal Excels in Sports
Royal College, which was established in 1835 under the name of Colombo Academy has become the most prestigious school in the island and the first and foremost choice of any parent to get his son admitted because of its long history of producing scholars and citizens of high calibre. To go hand in hand with this academic glory, the whole sports arena at College has been restructured according to an ambitious programme introduced under the guidance of the Present Principal who stands like an unshakable tower of strength. The enthusiasm thus created demonstrated a sudden blossoming in sports in the past few years and students have marvellously excelled in almost every sport available at College. These Royalists will be honoured by awarding colours at the Colours awarding ceremony. If you step into the Royal College premises after 2 p. m. you will undoubtedly wonder whether the day's session is over or not because you will find that almost the whole school is in full swing even in the afternoon. From the Junior Grounds in the Thurstan Road up to the Basketball courts demarcating the Reid Avenue throughout the College premises. Every nook and corner is fully occupied by the students who are involved in various co-curricular activities including sports.
While the primary school kids are practising gymnastics in the East Wing Lobby you may see their upper school brothers practising Martial Arts in the West Wing Lobby. The main sports ground will be crowded with boys practising cricket, soccer, volleyball and badminton and you may find their parents seated under the popular tamarind tree watching the talents of their sons. The sounds of the instruments of the College Senior Band will deafen your ears for a moment but you will be impressed by their abilities and talents. If you just peep into some classroom you may notice that they too are not empty as the boys are practising chess or scrabble. This devotion and commitment to sports and the efforts they take to upgrade the standard are due to the consequences of the encouragement and the guidance of the Present Principal. Due to his guidance a number of teams got the chance of touring foreign countries. The Rugby team which became undisputed champions during the last season toured Thailand last year and this feat can be considered to be culmination of the sports activities at College.
The restructuring of the sports activities of Royal College has made it a befitting educational institute of the world that has the capacity to cater to the needs of the young generation of the new millennium. Therefore, it is the duty of the future authorities to maintain this high standard even in the years to come.