A level finish at the top of the standings left Gampaha and Kandy as joint overall champions of the 36th National Youth Sports Festival.
Both districts collected 130 points, ahead of Galle’s 106. The competition ran from 30 October to 1 November 2026 at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium in Diyagama.
Record performances featured prominently, with 21 swimming records and nine athletics records reported during the festival.
Gampaha’s A.W.G.J.S. Wijethunga received the best female athlete award. Kegalle’s M.D. Chathuranga was named best male athlete after also setting a men’s 400-metre hurdles record of 50.06 seconds.
The joint champion districts each received Rs. 200,000, while Galle received Rs. 100,000. The two best-athlete awards carried Rs. 1 million each.
The event was organised by the youth and sports ministry, the National Youth Services Council and the Sri Lanka Federation of Youth Clubs.
