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| Sunday, 6 October 2002 |
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Niluka Fernando for World Junior Badminton Championships by LAL GUNESEKERA Sri Lanka's reigning national men's champion Niluka Karunaratne has been picked to represent the country at the 6th World Junior Championship of the International Badminton Federation (IBF) for the Bimantara Cup to be staged in Pretoria, South Africa from October 28 to November 3. The President of the Sri Lanka Badminton Association (SLBA), Riza Jumar, told the Sunday Observer that Karunaratne fared well at the Commonwealth Games and is now in South Korea for the Asian Games. He said: "The youngster has been playing really well, and we have decided to give him more exposure so that playing against good opposition, he could improve his game further." The SLBA treasurer, E. H. D. P. Hettiaratchi, will accompany Karunaratne to Pretoria. Karunaratne is also down to play in the Asian Badminton Confederation's Individual Championship to be worked off in Bangkok, Thailand from November 12 to 17, and the SLBA will also send Manjula Fernando as well as the reigning women's champion Chandrika de Silva (she too fared well at the Commonwealth Games). The SLBA is also contemplating sending a side for the Sudirman Cup Team Championship in the Netherlands to be staged in February next year (2003), but it all depends on the availability of funds and the performances of the shuttlers. Meanwhile, the SLBA has made elaborate arrangements for its Golden Jubilee National Championship to be staged at S. Thomas' College Indoor Stadium in Mount Lavinia in November where the preliminary rounds will be worked off with the finals at the Royal College Sports Complex. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Johnston Fernando, are expected to attend the opening and closing ceremonies. The SLBA is also making arrangements to conduct the IBF-ABC Asian Satellite Championship in February next year where players from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Maldive Islands, Singapore and even Iran will be invited to play for the total prize money worth US dollars 5,000. The Ariyadasa Silva Memorial Championship is to be worked off soon after the Asian Satellite in February with all the overseas players being invited to stay back and play. |
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