MALABE, Sri Lanka, October 7 (ePRESS) – The unbeaten Western Province badminton team emerged as the undisputed champions of the 35th National Youth Sports Festival 2025, organized by the National Youth Services Council (NYSC), held over two days at Malabe recently.
The tournament, which coincided with the government’s Clean Sri Lanka Programme, brought together 25 district teams from across the island. Displaying complete dominance from start to finish, the Western Province side remained unbeaten throughout the event, capping their campaign with a convincing victory over Galle District in the final.
In the semi-final, Colombo District, representing the Western Province, powered past Mannar District, while earlier in the quarter-final they defeated Gampaha District, sealing their path to the title clash.
The seven-member Western Province team was captained by Buddhi Shenal. The rest of the squad included Shenal Dias, N. Haputhanthri, Dulen Peiris, Rusara Wijesekara, Chamiru Dilruka Suraweera, and Sheran Kaveesha.
According to officials, these young shuttlers are being tipped for future national selection, as the Youth Services Council aims to harness emerging talent from the grassroots. This was the first-ever badminton tournament organized by the NYSC with the goal of developing players for the national pool.
The two-month-long islandwide event served as a platform to scout and train promising youth athletes across all provinces. The champion Western Province team will be honoured at the upcoming Annual General Meeting of the National Youth Services Council, in recognition of their outstanding performance.
