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| Sunday, 25 July 2004 |
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`Shuttling' junior talent by Lal Gunesekera The Sri Lanka Badminton Association (SLBA) has drawn up an ambitious junior development plan which was released on Monday by the Chairman of the National Pool Training Committee, Oliver Guruge, mainly to identify and nurture young talent (8 years and over) from zonal to national level, provide a large base of qualified coaches all over the Island etc. The SLBA will be forming four squads - beginners squad, intermediate squad, advanced squad and an elite junior squad. All players will be encouraged to participate in junior age group competitions at District, Zonal, National and International level. This programme is to be launched on September 1 after Junior Nationals with 30 to 100 players from each district. Oliver Guruge said that the SLBA will have a national junior `back up' squad with players identified from each zone and training either in the province or Colombo with selected shuttlers given the option of scholarships in Colombo schools, and be exposed to overseas training. Ambitious targets for these players involved in the Development Programme has been set for Asian and World Junior Championships from 2005 with the main aim being that a Sri Lankan will be junior men's and women's champion by 2009. Guruge (snr) stressed that Sri Lanka has the talent to reach international level, but has yet to be harnessed in a proper manner. The SLBA expects wider participation at school level, and hopes to introduce the game to each and every province. The SLBA also needs to encourage basic facilities in the schools and to construct a national badminton complex, but the State had to come in with the necessary finances. Among the others present were Sumith Guruge (President of SLBA), Christe Ganewala (Secretary, SLBA), Lt. General Dennis Perera (Chairman, Sri Lanka Badminton Foundation), Jagath Gamanayake (Assistant General Manager - Marketing, National Savings Bank) and Sameera Liyanage also of the NSB, who are the principle sponsors of the SLBA. A programme for Sri Lanka's reigning national men's champion, Niluka Karunaratne, one of the brightest prospects and ranked player of the International Badminton Federation (IBF), too has been drawn up by the SLBA from August 1 to end February next year (2005). Young Karunaratne starts his schedule with training at the Prakash Padukone Academy in Bangalore along with coach Kingsley Nallathamby from August 2 to 28 September 20 to October 23 and again from January 3 next year (2005) to end February. He is scheduled to figure at the New Zealand International at North Harbour from September 1 to 5, Australian International from September 9 to 12, Hyderabad leg of Indian Satellite from October 26 to 30, Pakistan Satellite from November 1 to 6, Levolant International in France from November 16 to 21, Scottish Open from November 25 to 28, Welsh International from December 2 to 5 and Italian International from December 16 to 19. |
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