Sports Minister opens revamped courts complex at SLB Headquarters

Sports Minister Harin Fernando taking part in an exhibition match along with SLB President Rohan de Silva, during the opening ceremony of the revamped court complex at the SLB Headquarters in Colombo-7 on Thursday

The refurbished courts complex at the Sri Lanka Badminton (SLB) Headquarters in Colombo-7 was declared open by Sports Minister Harin Fernando during a ceremony held on Thursday.

The event was attended by a host of senior sport officials, including new SLB President Rohan de Silva. To mark the occasion, Minister Fernando, de Silva, the Association’s Vice President Parakrama Basnayake and Nalaka Weerakkody played an exhibition doubles match at the revamped court, followed by an exhibition singles match between former national champion Achini Rathnasiri and Kavindi Dinari.

The indoor courts and rest of the facilities were in an unimpressive stage with a number of shortcomings, causing major problems to players. Luckily for the players, the said shortcomings have been taken care of. As part of the project carried out by SLB under its new management, the number of indoor courts was increased to three while the playing surface has undergone a major revamp with brand new synthetic flooring being done according to international standards. 

A new lighting system has also been installed at courts to help all players make the most during their training sessions.

The national pool has also been increased from 15 to 40 to provide more and more opportunities for top shuttlers to reach higher standards. The governing body also hopes to further develop the accommodation and sanitary facilities apart from improving the state of the office complex with the help of the Sports Ministry in the coming months.