The inaugural match at ‘Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium – Sooriyawewa’ took place in Hambantota. Preparation for this much awaited cricketing arena has been relentlessly pursued during the past months, and Hayleys Lighting partnered with Philips to provide the flood lighting system for the stadium.
Professional cricket is one of the world’s biggest entertainment industries and lighting plays a huge role in enabling the players to perform their best while enhancing the viewing experience of the spectators, TV viewers, and stringent lighting requirements of TV crews capturing the excitement and drama of the game.
The light masts and flood lighting of the stadium grounds has been done to complying with international ICC standards. All lamps, luminaires and control gear were supplied by Philips while the project partners were Sanken Lanka (Civil) and Fentons (Electrical)
The building of the stadium is a landmark project as this venue was built from scratch – reclaimed from the harsh environment to provide an opportunity for the people in this seemingly remote area of Hambantota in the deep south of the country to be connected to the world through a world event as the Cricket World Cup, a tournament that is so ardently followed by a cricket loving nation as our country Sri Lanka. This also gives an opportunity for those in the area a chance to see world cricket live in their own turf, fulfilling a vision set by ‘Tharunayata Hetak’ and the Sri Lanka Cricket Board to foster the game at grassroots.
The flood lighting of the Hambantota stadium is yet another laurel to the long list of prestigious projects handled by Hayleys Lighting that include lighting projects such as the Bandaranaike International Airport , Central Bank, HNB Towers, Ceylinco Towers and the National Football stadium in Maldives.
Philips Lighting has long pioneered lighting innovation in sports since the 1952 Olympics Games in Oslo. Since then Philips Lighting has been a technical partner to sports federations such as FIFA (football), ITF (Tennis), FIH Hockey), IAAF (athletics). This expertise and the fact that Philips Lighting has implemented many lighting solutions at world renowned cricket stadiums across Australia, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, South Africa and the Middle East, made them a preferred supplier for this project together with the fact that the Philips brand is represented in Sri Lanka by Hayleys.
Established in 1878 and thrice adjudged Sri Lanka’s Best Corporate Citizen, the Hayleys Group employs more than 30,000 people, and accounts for 2.45 per cent of the country’s export income. Hayleys Group is also one of the leading conglomerates in Sri Lanka and consumer products distributors in Sri Lanka.
