Police Special Task Force wins the IGP Challenge Cup Taekwondo Championship

The closing ceremony of the IGP Challenge Cup Taekwondo Championship was held under the patronage of Her Excellency Miyon Lee, Ambassador of Korea, with the participation of the Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasooriya(Attorney-at-Law), on 04.11.2025, at the Auditorium of the Foundation Institute, Colombo.

Originating from the Republic of Korea, Taekwondo is a globally recognized martial art that has been introduced to Sri Lankan police officers during their training period for many years. Such tournaments provide opportunities for officers to further enhance their skills and compete at the provincial level. Notably, Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasooriya is also a 6th Dan Black Belt holder in Taekwondo, having been awarded an honorary degree from Korea.

The preliminary rounds of this year’s tournament were held earlier at the Katukurunda Special Task Force Training School, while the final match of the under-58 kg weight category took place during this ceremony. In this intense encounter between Police Constable 105855 N. P. N. Fernando and Police Constable 101324 R. M. K. N. Rathnayake of the Special Task Force, Constable Rathnayake secured his victory.

Afterwards, the awards and trophies were presented, and the trophy for the Best Male Athlete of the novice category, was awarded to Police Constable 60105 W. M. M. Wijesinghe of the Kalutara Police College, who represented the Western Province, and competed in the 74–80 kg weight category. The award was presented by Deputy Inspector General of Police in Charge of Human Resource Management and International Relations Range, M. N. Sisira Kumara, who also serves as the President of the Sri Lanka Police Taekwondo Association.

The trophy for the Best Female Athlete in the novice category, was awarded to Woman Police Constable 10398 N. D. S. P. Weerawardhana of the Warakapola Police Station, who represented the Sabaragamuwa Province and competed in the 49–53 kg weight category. The award was presented by Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Colombo Range, Nishantha de Soyza.

The trophy and awards for Best Senior Officer were presented to Police Constable 101324 R. M. K. N. Rathnayake, while the Best Referee certificate and reward were presented to International Referee H. S. D. S. Dilruk.

The Inspector General of Police and the Ambassador of Korea together presented the Overall Championship Trophy of the Novice Category to the Western Province, and the Overall Championship Trophy of the Tournament, i.e. the IGP’s Taekwondo Challenge Trophy, to the Special Task Force Taekwondo Pool, who emerged as overall champions of the tournament.

The event was also attended by Deputy Inspector General of Police Nalaka de Silva, Assistant Superintendent of Police of the Special Task Force and Secretary of the Sri Lanka Police Taekwondo Association, Mrs. Nirosha Kumari, along with senior and junior officers of the Sri Lanka Police and the Special Task Force. The ceremony featured a Taekwondo artistic display by the Ratnapura Diamond Kick Taekwondo Academy, renowned for their skillful training, and a colourful cultural performance by the Police Cultural Division that added vibrancy to the event.