Viren, Dumindu and Ranithma vie for medals at Asian Games in Badminton

Monday, 14 September 2026 04:54 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

From left: Yohners Rambothan of Indonesia as Coach, Dumindu Abeywickrama, Viren Nettasinghe, and Ranithma Liyanage

Sri Lanka will be represented by three top shuttlers – namely Viren Nettasinghe, Dumindu Abeywickrama and Ranithma Liyanage – at the 20th Asian Games 2026, to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from 19 September to 4 October.

With high medal hopes, the three shuttlers will compete in individual events at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium in Aichi, where badminton events of the Asian Games will be played from 20 to 29 September. Viren and Dumindu will compete in the men’s singles event, which begins on 25 September, while Ranithma will also take the field on the same day in the women’s singles event. Both events will run concurrently, but the women’s singles will reach its quarter-finals on 26 September, while, with a longer list of entries, the men’s singles will reach its quarter-final stage on 27 September. The finals of both events will be held on 29 September.

Viren, 23, the youngest Sri Lankan to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics, is currently Sri Lanka’s top-ranked men’s singles shuttler alongside Dumindu, who has been in prime form during recent international competitions played since last year. Ranithma is currently Sri Lanka’s top seed in women’s singles. The three-member badminton team will be accompanied by Yohners Rambothan of Indonesia as Coach and Team Official.