Gampaha District Coordinating Committee Chairman and Gampaha District Parliamentarian Sahave Pradeep Withana, the only Badminton Champion from Diyawanna have been selected for the World Veterans Badminton Championship.

The tournament will be held in Seville, Spain from the 25th of this month to the 5th of next month.

Sahan Pradeep is an alumnus of Kadawatha Maha Bodhi College and Kadawatha Maha Vidyalaya and has represented the College Prefect, Sports Leader and Cadet Corps.

He also won the Gampaha District Badminton Championship in 2019, the Gampaha District Championship in the Over 40s event, the runner up All-Island Badminton Championship in Anuradhapura and the All Island Championship in the 2021 Nuwara Eliya Championship.

In the doubles finals of the 2021 Western Province All Island Badminton Finals, a team player could not compete due to an injury to his foot and won the runner-up position. He has also served as the President of the All Ceylon Elle Federation in 2018 and 2019.

This is the first time that a Member of Parliament has participated in a World Badminton Championship representing Sri Lanka.

The tournament has been approved by the Ministry of Sports or recommendation of the Badminton Association. Accordingly, the Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Minister of Finance Basil Rajapaksa and the Chief Government Whip Johnston Fernando have given their permission to participate in this tournament.