Tuskers face rugby giants England and New Zealand to kick-off campaign
Sri Lanka will kick-off the XXII Commonwealth Games campaign when the Tuskers take on rugby giants England and New Zealand at the Coventry Stadium, Coventry today.
The women’s rugby team will face hosts England in their opening pool A match while the men’s team will take on New Zealand during the opening session which begins at 9 a.m. (1.30 p.m. Sri Lanka time).
The opposition will be reversed during the second session commencing at 5.30 p.m. (9.30 p.m. Sri Lanka) with the women taking on New Zealand followed by the men’s clash with England.
Samoa is the fourth team in the 16-member men’s competition which comprises South Africa, Scotland, Tonga, Malaysia (pool B); Fiji, Canada, Wales, Zambia (pool C); and Australia, Kenya, Uganda, Jamaica (pool D).
In the eight-team women’s competition in which Sri Lanka is the only Asian team to qualify, Canada is the fourth team while Australia, Fiji, Scotland, and South Africa are in pool B.
Sri Lanka will feature in seven of the 14 disciplines they have entered in Birmingham 2022 bringing by far their largest contingent of 110 athletes and 51 officials in the history of the Commonwealth Games. 
Apart from rugby, Sri Lanka will compete in artistic gymnastics, swimming, squash, badminton, basketball, and boxing competitions on the opening day.
The men’s team final and individual qualification sub 1 and sub 2 in artistic gymnastics will be held from 9.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. at the Arena Birmingham. The men’s team comprises Hansa Gayashan, Sanjana Wickramaratna, and Buddhika Kurukulasuriya.
Akalanka Peiris is expected to make a splash in the men’s 50-metre butterfly heats with the swimming competition scheduled to commence at 10.30 a.m. at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre.
The four-member squash team comprising Ravindy Laksiri, Shamil Wakeel (men), Yeheni Kuruppu, Chanithma Samiyel (women) are expected to feature in the singles round of 64 held over two sessions from 12 noon to 3.15 p.m. and 6.00 p.m. to 8.30 p.m.
Sri Lanka will face Australia in their opening Mixed Team qualifying round one in badminton at the NEC Hall scheduled to start at 6.00 p.m. Manager Kanchana Wimalasooriya refused to name the team for the event. Three-time Olympian Niluka Karunaratne is captain of the badminton team.
Boxing will round off the day’s events for Sri Lanka when Army’s Sanjeewa Bandara Rajakaruna faces England’s Joseph Tyers in the men’s light welter (63.5kg) weight preliminary round at the NEC Hall commencing at 6.30 p.m. This weight is heavily contested with 29 boxers competing in this weight class.