Sri Lanka Badminton launched a brand new chapter in the country’s sports with the introduction of Air Badminton, at a ceremony held in Pelawatte on Wednesday.

AirBadminton, an outdoor version of the traditional badminton, is the ambitious new development project from the Badminton World Federation (BWF) designed to create opportunities for people of all ages and ability to play badminton on hard, grass and sand surfaces in parks, gardens, streets, playgrounds and beaches around the world.

The main differences between traditional badminton and Air Badminton are the shuttlecock and the design and dimensions of the court.

The official launch was attended by the Sri Lanka Badminton (SLB) President Rohan de Silva, Vice President Roshan Fernando and a host of other officials.

“Unlike the indoor version, Air Badminton needs no sophisticated indoor courts. It can be played anywhere, regardless of the natural interferences,” De Silva said during the launch.

“Sri Lanka has only a limited number of indoor courts where badminton can be played. But this is different. This can be played anywhere with minimum facilities. No courts are needed. Only a flat surface is sufficient. The wind is no issue. The shuttlecock is designed in a special way so that Air Badminton can be played even on beaches,” The SLB President said.

De Silva also said that his ambition is to introduce Air Badminton for the elders first.

“This will be a fun sport. Even players with a lower physical fitness level can play the sport unlike badminton which demands a lot of endurance and physical capabilities,” he said.

During the official launch held in Colombo, a team led by the SLB President Rohan De Silva and another led by Vice President Roshan Fernando played an exhibition game, offering a glimpse of what Air Badminton is.

The SLB President De Silva said his plan is to promote this Air Badminton and lift it up to the National level very soon and then take the players to International level.

Along with yesterday’s introduction, Air Badminton will be initially launched at five bases around the country, with centres located in St Thomas College Guruthalawa (Uva), Vavniya, Southern Province Centre inAmbalangoda, Anuradhapura and Nuwara Eliya.

“Who knows? May by Air Badminton will become more popular than the traditional indoor version in the coming years,” SLB President added.