Prince Edward visits Sri Lanka Tennis Association

• Lays foundation stone for new tennis complex, meets wheelchair tennis players

Prince and Princess Edward, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, last wwek visited the Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA) during their stay in Sri Lanka to represent the Queenat the 70th anniversary celebration of Sri Lanka’s independence.

The Royal visit to SLTA had two important activities in the itinerary. The first was the laying of the foundation stone for the new indoor tennis complex after which the plaque to mark the occasion was unveiled by the Prince.  The Royal couple also witnessed an exhibition of four wheelchair players in action. Wheelchair tennis was reintroduced in Sri Lanka in 2001 by Suresh Subramaniam, former SLTA President (2002 to 2005). By 2004 Sri Lanka was producing wheelchair competitors of Paralympics standard.

SLTA President Iqbal Bin Isaacksaid: “The British Royal Family has a history of being closely associated with tennis as patrons of the game. SLTA is the second oldest tennis association in Asia and we celebrated our centenary in 2015.  SLTA is honoured by this historic Royal visit as we inherited the game from the British. The visit allows us the opportunity to gain worldwide exposure for our wheelchair tennis that has brought immense credit to our country. The Rs. 800 million new indoor tennis complex with floodlit courts will be a major leap forward for Sri Lanka’s tennis, and we are thankful to Aelian Gunawardene of JAT Holdings for developing the new complex to uplift tennis in Sri Lanka.”

Wheelchair tennis players, Commonwealth athletes participating in the Commonwealth Games and Davis Cup tennis players too were introduced to the Royal couple on this great occasion.

Pix by Lasantha Kumara