15th Asian Junior Squash C’ship In Colombo This Week
(L to R): Nilupul De Silva, Senior Brand Manager, CBL, Brig.Tissa Jayasuriya, VP SLSF and Tournament Director 15th AJT, Oliver G.Guruge, President SLSF, Nadeeja Karunathilaka, AGM Marketing, CBL, and Wg.Cmdr.Jaliya Jayasekera, Hony Secretary SLSF and Chairman Organising Committee, 15th AJT
The 15th Asian Junior Team Squash Championships 2011 will be held in Colombo from January 25 – 29 at the newly constructed six court international standard Squash Complex of the Sri Lanka Air Force Base in Ratmalana.
The 31st Annual General Meeting of the Asian Squash Federation is also billed to take place concurrently at the Official Host Hotel – The Mount Lavinia Hotel on January 28 and 29.
Simultaneously, the World Squash Federation will hold its next Management Committee Meeting (Man COM) at the same hotel on January 26 and 27 with key office bearers from around the world, including the President of WSF, N. Ramachandran arriving in Sri Lanka.
A total of 23 teams from Asian Squash Federation’s member nations are billed to take part in this international event. Among them are Malaysia, Hong Kong, India, Pakistan, China, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Chinese Taipei, Jordan, Kuwait, Iran, Iraq and hosts Sri Lanka.
This major event is being sponsored by Ceylon Biscuits Limited, makers of Ritzbury Chocolates, along with the Ministry of Sports. It has attracted a record number of entries, in fact higher than all other previous Asian events.Senior Brand Manager of Ceylon Biscuits Limited, Nilupul De Silva said, “As the sponsor of the Junior National Squash Championship for the last three years, Ritzbury is proud to be associated with the Asian Junior Team Squash Championships which is to be held in Colombo. This is a great opportunity for our players to compete with the best talent in the region and further develop their skills. I wish the championship all success.”
SriLankan Airlines is the ‘Official Airline’ of the 15th Asian Junior Team Squash Championships 2011, while the Mount Lavinia Hotel has come in as ‘Official Host Hotel’ providing many facilities at concessionary rates.
A delighted President of the Sri Lanka Squash Federation, Oliver Guruge said, “Sri Lanka is both happy and proud to host this important event in the international squash calendar. With a 30-year civil war behind us, and adverse travel advisories now contemporary history, Sri Lanka is once again regaining its position on the world’s tourism map. These championships come at an opportune moment when the Government of Sri Lanka is taking all measures to actively promote the country, not only as a tourist destination, but also as a multi-faceted destination for sports tourism, health tourism, religious tourism, cultural tourism and more.”
“The game of squash has, at the same time, seen a tremendous resurgence both in terms of public interest and popularity in Sri Lanka during this past two years. Needless to say we have been greatly, encouraged by the record number of entries for all tournaments conducted by the SLSF during this period”, he added. The strong Sri Lankan contingent features all the top ranked junior players. The 15th Asian Junior Team Squash Championship 2011 is expected to feature some great squash and memorable performances of a very high standard, especially with the participation of top ranked players from 14 countries. The main draw will be held in the presence of top players from Pakistan, Malaysia, Hong Kong and India. “We’re thrilled to note that squash has attracted large numbers of players among all age groups in Sri Lanka. Our wish is to see Sri Lanka emerge as a major squash playing nation in the region in the not too distant future,” Guruge added.
