Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Iran in Tri-Nation shuttle tourney

By Lal Gunesekera

BADMINTON: An eight-member team comprising six men's shuttlers and two officials leave for Pakistan within the next few days to represent Sri Lanka at the Inaugural Tri-Nation Badminton Championships to be staged from April 27 to May 6 in Karachi.

Secretary of the Sri Lanka Badminton Association (SLBA) Christo Gonawala, told the Sunday Observer that the three countries in this Tri-Nation contest are Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Iran.

The Lankans will be represented by the three Karunaratne brothers (Niluka, Dinuka and Diluka), Sameera Sandakelum, Hasitha Chanaka and Anushka Lakshan with Mohan Wijesinghe as manager and Kingsley Nallathamby the coach.

Gonawala further said that three men shuttlers and two women players too will be picked shortly to represent Sri Lanka at the Sudirman Cup Team Championships to be staged in Scotland from June 11 to 17 accompanied by a manager and a coach.

The SLBA are also planning to send players for the Vietnam Satellite from May 23 to 27, Cheers Satellite in Singapore in December, Milo Junior (Under-19) Championships in Indonesia from July 31 to August 4 and Syrian Satellite from October 6 to 9.

Sri Lanka will also play in the Pakistan Satellite from November 30 to December 3, Indian Satellite from December 10 to 15 and Asian Badminton Confederation (ABC) Junior Championships for which the dates and venue has not yet been notified.

Meanwhile, the newly elected President of the SLBA, Amanda Weerasinghe, submitted a document titled "Way Forward" at the Council meeting held on Thursday at the SLBA headquarters.

He outlined the current structure in the country and planned to have a new system at district level and also international level, getting performance requirements and looking into the men's and women's standards to reach international level.

He also goes into the technical development part, produce a South Asian Games champion through the Junior Development programme within the next few years, facilities which includes their (SLBA) own gymnasium, study of court facilities in the country, getting down a foreign coach to uplift our standards, strengthening the Junior and district programmes and have national level coaches visiting districts on a regular basis.