Badminton National Championships to be held in February

Wednesday, 13 January 2021 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Niluka Karunaratne

Sri Lanka Badminton (SLB) has just announced that their premier event, the Badminton Nationals, will be held from 10-14 February at the SLB and MBA courts, similar to the Lanka Shuttle Challenge 2020

which was successfully held last December.

The event normally draws in excess of 1,000 participants, but this year’s event will be restricted to competitors over 15 years of age, all of whom will be accommodated in the Open category. SLB will treat this as a closed-door event and strict accreditation will be enforced to limit numbers within the court premises.

That said, the event will not lack for glamour and interest, as Sri Lanka’s top players and a string of die-hard Badminton enthusiasts will be vying to take the challenge and fight for honours. The reigning men’s champion Niluka Karunaratne, will take time off from his Olympic qualifying campaign to defend his crown while Dilmi Dias will seek to retain her hard-won title, returning to the game following a lay-off to focus on her studies.

Entries open on 11 January and close on 29 January at the SLB Office at Maitland Place, Colombo 7. The Draw is scheduled for 6 February, while the event will take off on 10 February with an opening ceremony which will see some of the champions of yesteryear in attendance.

Li Ning and the McLarens Group remain as primary sponsors.