Over 200 paddlers for TT tourney in Trincomalee

Sanjaya Ariyaratne

Over 200 paddlers from the Trincomalee District will take part in the second Trincomalee District Table Tennis Championships which will be worked off at the Sri Matumal Ambai school hall, Trincomalee on May 18, 2008.

The tournament is being conducted by the Table Tennis Association of Sri Lanka in collaboration with the Trincomalee District TTA and sponsored by the Nilaveli Peace Village will be preceded by a coaching camp on the previous day (May 17) at the same venue.

The former president of the Table Tennis Association of Sri Lanka and chief co-ordinator of the tournament Chandana Perera addressing a press briefing said that the aim of conducting the tournament was to promote table tennis among school children of the area with the liberation of the Eastern Province by the government the children of the district were keen to take part in sports especially Table Tennis and the first tournament held there in the last week-end of March was a tremendous success with children from ten schools taking part.

He said that already two coaches from Colombo Gayan Dilupa and Tharindu Chinthaka were coaching the children at the Peace Village, Nilavali which was set up by the Asian German Sports Exchange Programme to promote sports in the Trincomalee District and the tournament will be worked off in the age groups of under 7,9,11,13,15,17 and 19 for boys and girls and the most outstanding player will be awarded the Peace Village challenge trophy.

The chief co-ordinator of the AGSEP Annika Amelung said that their aim was to promote sports among children of all three communities in the Trincomalee District. By organising sports events such as table tennis, swimming, football, badminton, hockey and volleyball they hoped to bring about friendship and understanding among children of the three communities - Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims which would also help in the peace process in the Eastern Province.

The President of the Trincomalee District TTA Anura Sumith Samarakoon said that the tournament would be a boon for the children of the district who would be able to show their prowess and gain recognition.