South African rugby legend Morné du Plessis and Australia’s most successful cricket captain Steve Waugh joined their fellow Laureus World Sports Academy Member Sir Ian Botham on the fifth day of his walk across Sri Lanka to raise funds for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.
Day Five was a 19-mile trek which started on the coast at Kingsbury and ending at the Premadasa international cricket stadium in the heart of Colombo.
Funds raised from Beefy’s Big Sri Lanka Walk, from the north to the south of the country, staged with the backing of SriLankan Airlines and Sri Lanka Tourism, will go to help sports-based community projects, including those operated by the Foundation of Goodness in Sri Lanka with the support of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.
Sir Ian has to maintain an average pace of 20 miles a day for eight days in fierce tropical temperatures if he is to reach Seenigama in the south by his target date of November 8. But while he is gradually getting used to the heat, it proved to be a challenge for Steve Waugh.
He said: “It’s over 35 degrees today, trying to keep up with Beefy is impossible. It’s just about walking then running to get to him. It’s a great thing he’s doing though. He’s a really good example about what we can do and the power we have as sportsmen when it comes to raising money and awareness for good causes. But physically it’s very hard work… hopefully I can make it to the end.”
Morné du Plessis, who was manager of the 1995 World Cup winning Springbok side, added: “It’s difficult to believe he has done five days already. Though we come from different sports, different eras, we all have a common philosophy that sport can change the world and that’s what binds us.”
Over the period of the Walk, many great cricketers such as Australian captains Waugh and Allan Border and Indian and Sri Lankan stars Sourav Ganguly, Sunil Gavaskar, Mahela Jayawardene, Muttiah Muralitharan and Kumar Sangakarra, plus Morné du Plessis have all pledged to join Sir Ian at various stages to support him.
Since the mid-1980s, Sir Ian has taken part in a series of high profile walks, including John O’Groats to Land’s End in the United Kingdom, the 9 Valleys in Wales and the Hannibal Walk in the Alps. He says Beefy’s Big Sri Lanka Walk will raise funds for a cause he is passionate about.
After the Tsunami of 2004, which devastated parts of the country, killed 35,000 people and displaced over 500,000, Sir Ian went to Sri Lanka, on behalf of Laureus, to assess the situation and see what could be done to help. He saw how the creation of a sports-based project in the village of Seenigama could play a significant role in the rebuilding of the community.
Since then Laureus has worked with the Foundation of Goodness in Sri Lanka by providing funds and expertise to help build sports facilities and supply coaching for young people in the rural communities. Seenigama Sports has helped the region to recover its community spirit and rebuild lives, especially through the love of cricket.
Now, many years on, following the ending of the country’s civil war, Laureus, working again with the Foundation of Goodness, is supporting the creation of a second project, this time in the town of Mankulam, in the north of the country, helping children from the two communities to play sport together and to learn to live in harmony.
Beefy’s Big Sri Lanka Walk has been made possible by official Walk partners SriLankan Airlines and Sri Lanka Tourism and associate sponsors Global Rubber Industries (Pvt) Ltd and Lycamobile. Paradise Vacations UK have provided packages for those who wish to join Sir Ian on the Walk. Those who wish to join the Walk for a day or more can sign up at www.beefysbigsrilankawalk.com or come to the Registration Desk at the start of each day to sign up and join the challenge.
Sir Ian said: “A great many organisations and people have been working hard for a long time to put my Sri Lanka Walk together and I would like to thank them. They have all shown their commitment to help young people and I could not be setting off on this great adventure without their backing.”
The full itinerary for the remainder of Beefy’s Big Sri Lanka Walk is:
Day 6: November 6 – Tangalle
Start: 0800 at Tangalle
Finish: 1300 at Tangalle
Day 7: November 7 – Matara to Fortress Hotel, Galle
Start: 0800 at Matara Cargills Food City
Finish: 1300 at Fortress Hotel, Galle
Day 8: November 8 – Galle to Seenigama
Start: 0800 at Galle Cargills Food City
Finish: 1230 at Seenigama Cricket Ground
