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| Sunday, 15 December 2002 |
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SLBA to construct bigger indoor stadium to accommodate international tourneys by LAL GUNESEKERA The Sri Lanka Badminton Association (SLBA) plans to construct a five-to-ten court indoor stadium with all facilities, costing about Rs. 150 million and the land for this purpose has been earmarked near the Royal College Sports Complex. Negotiations are already under way for this project. The President of the SLBA Riza Jumar, told the Sunday Observer that the present three-court stadium at Maitland Place is inadequate even for practices for the national pools and possessing a five-to-10 court indoor stadium will help the SLBA to conduct international tournaments in conjunction with the International Badminton Federation (IBF) and Asian Badminton Confederation (ABC). He was optimistic that the construction work will commence next year (2003) and a stadium committee headed by one of its Vice-Presidents Christo Gonawala, has been formed to go into every detail. Tenders will be called for the construction and monies will be raised through sponsorship. The Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Johnston Fernando, has given the greenlight for this project and has promised 50 per cent of the total cost. Minister Johnston Fernando has also approached the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka in an attempt to get down a top Chinese coach to train our shuttlers for a period of three years. Jumar said changes have to be made to change the strategy of coaching and the SLBA will pick the best young players in the 15 to 20 age group, find them scholarships to train under this Chinese coach. He said: "The outstation players could be accommodated at the SLBA headquarters at Maitland Place when the project gets under way and we will speak to various establishments to sponsor them." Jumar further said that the Commercial Bank who have been pumping in 1.7 million a year as sponsorship for badminton in the last five years, have brought it down to Rs. 1.5 million this year (2002). However, Minister Fernando has volunteered to speak and negotiate with the Commercial Bank authorities to increase their sponsorship package to Rs. 2.5 million for next year (2003). The Minister has said that the Sports Ministry, too, would help the SLBA financially. Meanwhile, the Satellite Tournament of the IBF and ABC involving mostly lower ranked players from the Asian region where the prize money is US dollars 10,000 is to be staged at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium at the end of February next year (2003). |
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