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| Sunday, 14 November 2004 |
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Niluka ranked 70th with IBF, may find embassy empasse a snag by Lal Gunasekera Sri Lanka's reigning national champion, Niluka Karunaratne, is now placed 70th in the world rankings of the International Badminton Federation (IBF). He followed yet another training session at the Prakash Padukene Academy in Bangalore, India, and is presently in the country for a few days, before he departs to France on Wednesday to compete at the Touloufg Open from November 18 to 21. However, young Niluka, who has won the national title for the last three years, says that obtaining his visa to France is going to be 'quite a problem' although the Sri Lanka Badminton Association (SLBA) has approved of his competing in France. The 'Sunday Observer' understands that the French Embassy in Colombo even refused granting a visa to a table tennis player who was selected to represent Asia against Europe in France recently. The German and Italian Embassies in Colombo too, it is understood are reluctant to issue visas for sportsmen women after a handball team went 'missing' in Germany recently. Karunaratne, who have travelled widely in Europe and Asia, is also scheduled to play in the Scottish Open from November 25 to 28. He is to figure in about six international tournaments of the IBF before the South Asian Games to be staged in Sri Lanka in August. Kumara does well Of the six shuttlers, who represented Sri Lanka in the Indian Satellite recently, only U. D. R. P. Kumara managed to enter the quarter-final stages. Kumara beat Pakistan's Masih Ashraf Danial in straight sets (15-1, 15-5) in the second-round and then Iran's Shiri Nekzad 17-14, 15-6 in the pre-quarters before losing to India's Abhin Shyam Gupta 12-15, 8-15 in the quarters of the men's singles. Sri Lanka's national champion and world ranked player, Niluka Karunaratne from whom much was expected, was his second-round tussle over Iran's Daren Nemi in straight sets (15-2, 15-8), while losing in the pre quarters to India's Gopichand Pulella 6-15, 2-8 (w/o). Niluka Karunaratne lost in the second-round to India's Anand Chetan in straight sets 11-15, 2-15. The three Sri Lankan girls lost in the very first round itself. Thilini Jayasinghe lost to India's Dekaraja Krishna 7-11, 6-11 Nadeesha Gayanthi lost to India's Biswas Aditi also in straight sets 1-11, 1-11 and Dilhani de Silva lost to Nair Dhanya also of India 1-11, 3-11. India's Gopichand Pulella won the men's Singles while Thailand's Monthila Meemek won the Women's Singles. The Men's Doubles was won by Thai pair of Nahatong and Ngensrisuk, while Indonesia's Mundiasti and Apriliana won the Women's Doubles. |
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