The Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA) Interim Committee headed by former SLTA President Janaka Bogollagama announced on Sep. 2 that they would initiate ‘the Island-wide Tennis Promotional Programme’ from next month.

Maxwell de Silva, Secretary, SLTA Interim Committee, was quoted saying in an SLTA media release that the above Programme will begin with the organisation of free tennis coaching camps to be held in several outstation areas in the island. The coaching camps will be conducted with the assistance of regional tennis clubs in the respective areas. The SLTA now has around twenty outstation clubs as its affiliates.

According to de Silva, ‘the Island-wide Tennis Promotional Programme’ will be a continuation of the outstation development activities that have been in place over the last few years, spearheaded by the Outstation Development Committee of the former SLTA committee which was in existence till Sep. 2 when Sports and Public Recreation Minister Gamini Lokuge appointed a nine-member Interim Committee for tennis under Bogollagama, brother of Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama.

Sources revealed last week that the decision-making of the present Interim Committee is done by the whole committee working as a single unit. There are no sub committees appointed by the Interim so far to overlook different areas of the country’s tennis administration.

Under the then existing tennis promotional programme of the SLTA Outstation Development Committee, an organisation named JICA volunteered to employ coaches to promote tennis in rural areas. The JICA - SLTA combined development activities that began at Karandeniya was one example.

The new Promotional Programme will initially aim at conducting four outstation tennis camps with the help of local SLTA affiliate clubs in those areas.

This is to identify young talent in the respective areas and to encourage the sport among a younger audience while creating overall awareness on the game of tennis amongst schools, clubs and the general public in the areas.

This is to provide advanced training to the high performance junior players identified in the respective regions and to pick potential players who could be trained under the present training/coaching programmes held at the SLTA.

This is to introduce tennis to the community, especially the adults, as a more sociable and fun activity so as to popularising the sport.

Training outstation coaches.

Two specialised SLTA coaches will be joined by a few regional coaches in conducting this Programme.

Bogollagama was quoted saying in the above release: "The SLTA hopes to conduct four (4) coaching camps, as a first step, in four areas where the SLTA already has its junior development programmes going on."

‘3G Sports’ becomes official sponsor -

‘3G Sports,’ the sole agent for the tennis brand of ‘Head’ in both Sri Lanka and Maldives and led by Anupa Maththamagoda, has come forward as the official sponsors of the above Programme.

The region of Kalutara will be the newest entry in the current Mini Tennis Initiative of the SLTA. Five main schools in the area joined hands with the Kalutara Lawn Tennis Club, the only active public tennis club in the coastal strip stretching from Moratuwa to Galle, at an inaugural meeting held at the Holy Family Convent, Kalutara, last Wed. (17).

"There have been good examples that can be provided to prove that tennis is producing international level players from far off places in the island. Batticaloa-based Thangarajah Dineshkantha, who is coming from an ordinary family, is one good example. Our aim in launching Mini Tennis at Kalutara is to find good talents in the area which is based relatively aloof from the Colombo tennis facilities," said Bharathi Raj Pillai, the All-Island Mini Tennis Coordinator of the SLTA.

S. Yogaratnam, Gen. Manager, SLTA, too addressed the gathering that featured representatives and Principals from the Holy Family Convent, Kalutara Balika Vidyalaya, Kalutara Vidyalaya, Kalutara Gnanodaya Maha Vidyalaya and Holy Cross College, Kalutara.