Badminton is at low level despite facilities afforded

Pavilion View by Leslie Fernando

BADMINTON: Though many facilities have been provided to the badminton players in recent times, the standard of the game is at a low level. This was the view of former badminton star Niroshan Wijekoon.

He said that the shuttlers have been afforded the privilege of being coached abroad, but the standard has gone down. He said that training must be consistent before one can think of becoming a champion.

Niroshan - a former Royalist, has won the national singles title 9 times, the doubles title 12 times partnered by various players.

Having started to play the game at St. Thomas' College, Bandarawela, Niroshan says that his success in badminton was due to the good coaching that he received from Ananda Alahakoon and Dr. A. R. L. Wijesekera from his young days.

Besides winning the national title, he has represented the country at several international tournaments abroad including the Olympic Games.

Players must be of good physical strength as rigorous training is necessary. "I used to hit 300 to 400 smashes at a stretch without a trace of tiredness. The present day players first and foremost, must have a love for the game and they should also be dedicated", he said.

Clean up of SLBA necessary

The game of badminton is one sport that can make much headway in this country if properly handled. In the past, some of the players in the by-gone era, performed well against players from Malaysia, Japan, China, India, Thailand and Pakistan.

Badminton reached quite a high standard in the period between 1948 to around 1956. There was Sam Chandrasena, P. Sivalingam, Rais Janz, Dr. A. R. L. Wijesekera, Dr. Rasalingam, Jerry Chandrasena, Dr. C. Thurairaja and Nanda Nagasinghe, to name just a handful who really did the country proud. Sam Chandrasena, said that the standard was rather high in the late forties - in 1948 when Sri Lanka (Ceylon then) put up a fine show against Malaysia though the Lankans lost.

Chandrasena - a former Peterite has held many positions in the Sri Lanka Badminton Federation, was somewhat sad that the youngsters are not given the opportunity of improving their standings due to the selfish attitude of some players and officials more keen in keeping their positions.

He feels that there should be a complete clean-up of the Sri Lanka Badminton Association and some knowledgeable people should be in charge so that badminton will comeback into its past glory.

A touch of professionalism needed

A little bit of professionalism must be brought into this game of badminton for it to match with international standard right now. This is the view of former Royal College and national badminton star Niranjan Wijesekera.

Wijesekera who has represented Sri Lanka in various tournaments from 1984 to 1992 was of the view that the Badminton Association of Sri Lanka and the Sports Ministry should join hands like in cricket for the game to improve in this country.

The badminton association must go in for sponsorship and for this, the SLBA should tap the public sector and see what way they can help the game. It won't be easy but it's worth giving a try, just like Indonesia, Malaysia, China and Japan who were successful in their ventures.

Catch 'em young

Catch 'em young should be the theme of the Sri Lanka Badminton Association and then they should tie-up with Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Sports - and then the game of badminton is bound to improve in this country. This is the view of Lucky Algama nee Dharmasena who holds the unique achievement of representing the country in four sports - badminton, netball, volleyball and basketball.

A former St. Thomas', Kotte Sportswoman, Lucky, said that the players must have enthusiasm and also put in hard work in their training periods. She had a good coach in K. Kanagaraja and Lucky is ever grateful to him for the success she has gained in the game.

There are no short cuts in badminton, hard work and regular training will improve one's game.

Fitness counts

Emarley Fernando - former Christ Church, Baddegama and national badminton player, said that players must be fully fit to make progress in the game. He was a junior player when he won the national title in 1979 and continued to be in the game till around 1986 when he had to step down because of injury.

Physical fitness is a key factor in the game Emarley Fernando said. Speed running, skipping, stretching exercises helps the players to gain stamina and stamina will play a vital role in the matches.