The 50th National Tennis Championship organised by Bank of Maldives (BML) has reached a colorful conclusion.
The closing ceremony held on Saturday night at the National Tennis Centre was officiated by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, with the Minister of Tourism, Ali Waheed, as the ceremony's special guest.
The ceremony was also attended by Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, Ahmed Mahloof and retired professional tennis player from Thailand, Paradorn Srichaphan, who is famous for being the first Asian tennis player ranked in the top ten of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) rankings.
Categories in the tournament included 7 & Under, 8 & Under, 10 & Under, 12 & Under, 14 & Under, Junior Open, Men's and Women's Open, and Mixed Doubles as well as the over 45 and Over 55 category.
In addition to officiating, the President also presented trophies and certificates to the men’s and women’s champions of the tournament.
The tournament, held from November 15th-23rd, featured games of local players and allowed foreign players to compete for the first time. This included players from Cambodia, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
The tournament was the first national competition of its kind and offered a total of USD 25،000 as prize money.