Badminton Nationals kick off in Colombo

The 70th Senior Nationals and the 38th Junior Nationals organised by Sri Lanka Badminton (SLB), kicked off yesterday at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium.

The week-long tournament will also hold matches at the SLB and the Mercantile Badminton Association courts to accommodate the large number of entries which surpasses 1000 shuttles from all parts of the country.

The tournament brings out the best talent in the country, with a number of leading shuttlers in the country, including Buwaneka Gunathilaka, Sachin Dias, Ranthushka Karunatilleke, Rasindu Hendahewa, Viren Nettasinghe and Dumindu Abeywickrama in the men’s side, as well as Thilini Hendahwa and  Kavidi Sirimanage, Nadeesha Gayanthi, Ranithma Liyanage and Varangana  Jayawardena in the women’s division.

With the country’s top stars bidding to gain valuable ranking points while a number of up and coming players as well as lesser known future stars gunning for upsets in search of berths in national pools, the tournament is expected to produce stiff contests.

The opening ceremony was held yesterday in the presence of SLB President Rohan de Silva while Badminton Asia Development Committee Chairman Wajid Ali Chaudhry attended the ceremony as the Chief Guest. 

On the opening day, the school shuttlers took to the courts in the first rounds of the 38th Junior Nationals Championship