Thousands vie for honours as 71st Badminton Nationals kick off

SLB President Rohan De Silva 

The 71st National Badminton Championships was declared open by Sri Lanka Badminton President Rohan de Silva at a ceremony held in Colombo, yesterday. 

Over 1000 shuttlers will vie for honours at this year’s Nationals which will run until 10 December. 

Organised by Sri Lanka Badminton (SLB), the championship promises to be a thrilling showcase of talent while a prize pool of Rs. 2 million will be up for grabs at Sri Lanka Badminton Headquarters, MBA Badminton Courts and D.S. Senanayake College Badminton Courts.

The preliminary rounds kicked off yesterday following the opening ceremony. The round of 16 matchups and quarterfinals will take place on 8 December, followed by the highly anticipated semi-finals and additional quarterfinal on next day. All the finals are reserved for Sunday, 10 December, concluding with the closing ceremony to mark the end of this prestigious badminton championship.

The Championships will encompass a diverse range of events, spanning from Under-11 to Under-19 in the Junior category and Over-30 to Over-70 in the Senior category. Notably, the spotlight will be on the Open events category, showcasing Men’s and Women’s Singles, Doubles, and Mixed Doubles as the focal point of this grand annual event.