Minister hopes to give Lankan netballers more foreign exposure

Chinthana WASALA

The Sri Lanka netball is in full swing as the national team is on a mission, displaying their prowess in the 8th Asian Netball Championship now in progress at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium.

Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage

Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage who is a keen promoter of netball in the country commended the achievements of the Lankan lasses who are doing exceptionally well in the ongoing regional tournament.

“We are truly proud of the team’s performances. They have shown that they made full use of the training they had in Australia”, said Minister Aluthgamage who was at the Sugathadasa Stadium to witness Sri Lanka’s heroics against Japan when they beat the visitors by 110-8. Under the supervision of the Sports Ministry and the Sri Lanka Netball Association, the Lankan netballers took part in a two-month long training camp in Australia with the aim of maximizing their preparations to defend their Asian Championship title with the world class facilities and netball environment in Perth.

Their tour included daily training sessions and two games a week against a variety of opposition including the Western Australia under-21 State team.

“There is no question about Sri Lanka’s place in Asia. But our goal is to improve further in the rankings by playing more international matches and reach the top 16 in the Commonwealth rankings. For that we expect to offer more opportunities for these lasses”, added Minister Aluthgamage.