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by Ken de Joodt

"In a gallant bid to promote goodwill and peace through sports, the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation spearheaded by its new President Brigadier Lawrence Fernando and his Tournament Committee, comprising former DIG Ignatius Canagaretnam, (Vice President), ASP R. E. C. Ranjan, Ajith Kuruppu (National Coach) and K. G. Somadasa, former Director of Education, have made enormous efforts to stage the first-ever senior National Basketball Tournament in Jaffna.

With a positive approach to offer 'friendship ties' to the North, the basketball players from the South will travel up to Jaffna, where they will embark, from Trincomalee harbour, on a special S.L. Navy Hovercraftship, reaching Jaffna in approximately five hours on Friday 5th around noon.

From the teams that participated in Colombo, the semi-finalists to play in Jaffna have now been established and they are:

Men - Colombo District Basketball Assoc, Police, Mercantile, Navy. Women - Navy, Sri Lanka Schools

These six teams will participate in the finals to be played at the Jaffna Hindu College basketball courts in Jaffna. This has been consented to by all the team and the players too were ever so willing to go upto Jaffna with that 'sporty spirit of camaraderie' and help in bridging many gaps, to foster a better relationships and create goodwill among the people of the North. It must be appreciated that the Jaffna Basketball Association spared no pains to make this tournament plausible with a cordial response in agreeing to stage this historic event.

Uni Levers Ltd. have come forward to lend valuable support, with an invaluable sponsorship which will also see a free distribution of many of their products at this tournament to the players and the public.

Johnston Fernando, Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs will also have his name registered in the record book as the first minister to be the chief guest in a basketball tournament in Jaffna. He not only consented to staging this tournament but also made a large contribution towards it, from the sports ministry to support a worthy cause.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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