SLB forms 30-member U-13 squad for Kalutara District
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A 30-member pool of Under-13 shuttlers from Kalutara District was formed as part of Sri Lanka Badminton’s (SLB) island-wide initiative of forming district squads. SLB kicked off the revolutionary programme with the aim of promoting the sport as well as preparing young shuttlers to compete at local and international events. The squad consists of 15 boys and as many girls, and the selection took place at the Crystal Badminton Courts in Panadura.
Roshan Gunawardena, the Chairman of SLB’s Regional Development Committee, along with other officials of SLB and Western Province Badminton Association (WPBA) attended the selections.
Gunawardena stated that under this programme, it is planned to produce 1000 Under-13 shuttlers and said that the squads will be trained for a period of two years while providing all necessary facilities. He also mentioned that SLB’s main intention is to produce a talented and well-trained group of shuttlers capable of representing Sri Lanka and winning international medals by the year 2030.
The programme that started in Galle district last March, has already spread to Hambantota and Matara districts together with the support of the Southern Province Badminton Association, Moneragala and Badulla districts with the Uva Provincial Badminton Association and Nuwara Eliya district with the Central Province Badminton Association.
Apart from this, the district squads of Kilinochchi, Jaffna, Mannar, Mullaitivu and Vavuniya have also been formed in partnership with the Northern Province Badminton Association and Kurunegala and Anuradhapura districts with the support of North Western Province Badminton Association and North Central Province Badminton Association respectively.
The Under-13 District pooling programme is sponsored by Mobil, 3M and LiNing.