Colours were first introduced to the College in the year 1912 by the late Principal H. L. Reed. The first ever recipients for College Colours were the Cricket team, followed by the Tennis, Athletics, Football, Rugby and Boxing teams. College Colours were awarded by the Principal at the Morning Assembly and the names of the achievers were to be posted on the Notice Board. However, with the passage of time and the prestige of College Colours rising each year it has now led to a grand event known as ‘The Colours Awarding Ceremony’. Students are brought up to the ‘Navarangahala’ and are awarded a Certificate along with either a Crest or Medal.

The first set of ‘Rules For Colours’ was introduced on the 17th of November 1921 which included:

·        Colours can be awarded for any game by the Selection Committee associated with that sport.

·        Seniority among the members of the team holding Colours shall be in accordance with the date they were awarded Colours.

·        In the event of two or more students being awarded Colours on the same day, the order of seniority among the students shall be in the order in which they are named. All awards will be recorded by the Secretary of the Games Committee who will be notified by the Principal.

·        The holder of Colours does not ‘ipso facto’ have the right of selection in the team for all matches. The matter is left to the discretion of the Selection Committee.

Coloursmen of the College usually wear the crest on the top left side of the blazer where it is closest to the heart. Though there is no documentation regarding it prior to 1892, it is known that in the year 1895 the College Cricket team had a simple crest on a blue blazer. The crest on the top blazer pocket had a shield with the letter ‘R.C’. in gold with a scroll.

As time passed and with the granting of independence to Ceylon in 1947, Ceylon’s National Emblem changed with the Sinhalese crown replacing the British crown. 10 years later, ‘The College Magazine’ first carried the new arms (crest) in April 1957, which we now see on every Coloursmen’s blazer that allows them to stand out as they should.

‘The Colours Awarding Ceremony’ of Royal College is not only to celebrate the individual’s achievement but also to honour the endless hours of practice, countless instances of mental preparation and exhaustion; the blood, sweat and tears as we all say. There is very little to the commitment of a true Royalist sportsman that we see from the outside and thus why we, the Royal College, go to such extents to felicitate these hardworking gentlemen.