Over 400 shuttlers for Dulux Championships

The Dulux Individual open badminton championships conducted by the Mercantile Badminton Association will be worked off from September 9 to 12 at the Royal College sports complex.

This is the 23rd year of the championship and the seventh successive year that CIC Paints Limited has come forward as the main sponsors of this event.

The tournament has attracted over 400 competitors in the categories of men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles, mixed doubles, men's veterans singles, women's veterans singles and masters singles and doubles.

A number of past and present national champions and a host of national ranking players will be taking part at this years event. The most popular events have been the men's and women's singles which have drawn 126 entries and 55 entries respectively.

The number of participating companies have also shown an increase moving upto 35 with several new entries. In addition a new event in that of the veterans ladies singles will be conducted for the first time this year.

Niluka Karunaratne of Bartleet is the top seed in the men's singles tournament while Chandrika de Silva of Seylan Bank is the top seed in the women's singles tournament. Thushara Edirisinghe and Duminda Jayakody of Pacific are the top seeds in the men's doubles event.

Rasangi Kalpana of Hatton National Bank and Chandrika de Silva of Seylan Bank are the top seeds in the women's doubles event.

Thushara Edirisinghe and Chandrika de Silva are the top seeds in the mixed doubles tournament.

The finals of the tournament will be worked off on September 12 commencing at 2.30 p.m under the patronage of Gerald de Saram managing director, Graham Marshal head of marketing, Asoka Peiris brand manager, Thilan Premaratne special events manager all of CIC Paints Limited.

(C.D).