Badminton Nationals set for February 14-20

By Susil Premalal

The National Badminton Championship will be held from February 14 to 20, Sri Lanka Badminton (SLB) announced.

Following  the success of the Lanka Shuttle Challenge 2020 in December, the Badminton Nationals will be conducted at the SLB and MBA courts.  
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 who will be accommodated in the Open category. The Nationals will be a closed-door event and strict accreditation will be enforced to limit numbers within the court premises. 

Sri Lanka’s top players will be vying for honours. 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 title returning to the game after a lay-off to focus on her studies.

 
Entries close on January 29 at the SLB office at Maitland Place, Colombo 7.

 The draw is scheduled for February 6 while the event will take off on February 10 with an opening ceremony which will see some of the champions of yesteryear in attendance, according to SLB CEO Trevor Reckerman.  Li Ning and the McLarens Group stays with the sport as primary sponsors.