Twin trouble in Sri Lanka! 5th February 2020

The fate of a Sri Lankan attempt at a new world record for the largest gathering of twins currently hangs in the balance.

Organisers, Sri Lanka Twins group, sent out a call to twins across the island to assemble at a sports stadium in the capital, Colombo, in a bid to break the current World Record for the number of twins, triplets and quadruplets in one place. Held by Taiwan since 1999, the current record stands at 3,961 pairs of twins, 37 sets of triplets and 4 sets of quadruplets gathered in one place.

Despite the event's great success, the huge draw of the event could well have scuppered it. The much higher than expected turnout overwhelmed organisers. Lengthy queues snaked around the stadium as people waited to register and show their birth certificates.

Owing to the unprecedented turnout, organisers reported that they were unable to adhere to the strict guidelines imposed by the Guinness Book of Records, which demand that all those registered remain in one place together for a minimum of 5 minutes and pose for a group photograph.

While they await the Guinness Book of Records' decision, organisers say that if unsuccessful, they will try again.