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| Sunday, 18 September 2005 |
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Authorities try to make badminton second best sport in Sri Lanka by Srian Obeyesekere Badminton, a non body contact sport, is being flaunted by the game's authorities to become the second best sport in Sri Lanka next to cricket. The tall dream was echoed by Sri Lanka Badminton Association's Chairman, Tournament Committee Oliver Guruge who told the 'Sunday Observer' that all the positives were there to make it come true. "Badminton is popularly played in as many as twenty districts throughout the country except for a few areas," Guruge said responding to a question by the 'Sunday Observer.' Tall an order, as it is, the local badminton authorities were highly optimistic. Guruge believed that Sri Lanka could go a step further in the Asian circuit. The badminton drive was also backed by figures. As much as 900 entries had been received for the upcoming Nationalised Services All Island Open Badminton Championships 2005, according to Mrs. Wijayalakshmi Liyanage, Tournament Secretary, Nationalised Services Badminton Association (SLBA). Perhaps, a mite boosted by the Tournament Secretary making the point that the racquet and shuttlecock sport was catching on so much that even schoolchildren's parents were being encouraged to participate at this September's event to be telecast live on Channel Eye. It had attracted contenders from nine years upwards. Of course, the badminton authorities are thumbs up in their endeavour to match the country's cricket with a 'rainbow' raining down on them in the form of the country's telecommunication people, Sri Lanka Telecom's Rainbow Pages which has come forward as the main sponsor of the tournament. Something to which Sri Lanka Telecom's Chief Marketing Officer, Kapila Chandrasena who rang a chord that 'we from Sri Lanka Telecom which caters to the country's wire services, have come forward with a Rs. 4 lakhs sponsorship to give badminton a boost because we consider it a social obligation on our part." Last Wednesday's event at the Sinhalese Sports Club auditorium interestingly found the SLBA's President, Upali Arambewala going down memory lane to back the association's motto to 'do things first.' SLBA had in fact been in the forefront as of the livewires in the sport. In 1985, it had conducted its' first all-island open championship where Niroshan Wijekoon and Emarley Fernando were the first winners in the men's and ladies singles event. But it was in 1987 that cash awards were first made at the third such meet. It had grown day by day with new events line up making it the most popular of the tournaments in the country. The addition this year of the family event, mixed doubles was another. The live telecast of the six-day event from September 19 to 24 at S. Thomas' College Indoor Stadium, Mt. Lavinia will be another first which the authorities hoped to continue with in their other tournaments too, this year.
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