Seylan Bank Sports Club to host first inter-bank badminton team championship

The first inter-bank badminton team championship is set to be held on 6,7,12 and 13 March, at the Mercantile Badminton Association headquarters at Malalasekara Mawatha, Colombo 7. 

The tournament, entitled the ‘Sri Lanka Badminton Super League – Battle of the Bankers 2016’, is organised by the Seylan Bank Sports Club as a Sri Lanka Badminton Association-sanctioned event (SLBA).

Fourteen teams representing 10 licensed commercial and specialised banks in Sri Lanka will showcase their skills over four days for three different championships, namely the Grand Slam, Cup and Plate. 

Each tie will consist of seven matches that include two men’s singles, two women’s singles, one men’s doubles, one women’s doubles and one mixed doubles.

Badminton is a popular leisure activity among bankers as well as the general public, and is commonly regarded as one of the most played games in the country. A number of nationally-ranked players, including former national champions employed at banks, will vie for honours thus making it an attractive event for spectators. The Seylan Bank Sports Club is confident that the success of this year’s tournament will pave the way for an annual inter-bank event and also expects to expand this to the South Asian level in the future.

The draw for the tournament, which is being conducted by SLBA officials, was held on 19 February in the presence of the captains. The finals of each category will be held on 13 March, followed by the awards ceremony. 

The participating teams for the tournament are Bank of Ceylon, Commercial Bank, Hatton National Bank, Seylan Bank – A, Seylan Bank – B, Nations Trust Bank – A, Nations Trust Bank – B, National Development Bank, HSBC – A, HSBC – B, Union Bank, Pan Asia Bank, Sanasa Development Bank – A and Sanasa Development Bank - B.