COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka's national coach and a former Olympic runner were among 12 killed in a suicide bomb attack during the opening ceremony of a marathon today outside the nation's capital.

Coach Lakshman de Alwis and marathon runner K.A. Karunaratne died in the attack, which government officials blamed on Tamil Tiger rebels. More than 90 were wounded, the Defense Ministry said in a statement posted on its Web site.

Minister of Highways and Road Development Jeyaraj Fernandopulle was opening the race 12 miles from Colombo and was killed when the suicide bomber struck, government spokesman Anusha Paltipa said.

Karunaratne competed in the 1992 Olympic marathon and the 1993 World Championships. He won gold in the marathon and 10,000 meters at the 1991 South Asian Games, defending his marathon title in 1993.

Karunaratne and de Alwis were confirmed dead by government spokesman Lakshman Hulugalle.