11 August 2023 12:02 am
Sports in Sri Lanka must be protected and nurtured at all costs. This is because sports have given this blessed country and its sportsmen and women numerous opportunities to showcase their talents to the outside world. Sadly, however, there has come a time when sports in Sri Lanka must be protected from a sports minister for whom sports is like rocket science.
The present Sports Minister is none other than Roshan Ranasinghe who is often in the news for controversial issues rather than promoting anything productive in sports. The sports minister is hounded by a selected crew of journalists who wish to show that the lawmaker is on a mission to clean sports and ensure everyone follows the sports law. But in reality Ranasinghe is throwing his weight around in sports associations which can be manipulated for his advantage and plant his close associates to handle administrative duties. The method he uses is to first ban the registration that such sports bodies have with the ministry of sports and then appoint temporary committees to run their affairs. What he did to Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) is a classic example.
When Ranasinghe was appointed as sports minister by the present Government headed by Ranil Wickremesinghe SLR was already a banned sports body. That ban was brought about through a gazette notification issued by the previous sports minister Namal Rajapaksa before he lost his portfolio as sports minister.
Ranasinghe removed that gazette notification on April 10, 2023 and a day later imposed a fresh ban on SLR. Subsequently the office of the SLR was sealed. At present the administration of SLR is handled by a stabilizing committee, but rugby matters in Sri Lanka are under a cloud of uncertainty due to an existing legal battle. As a result of all these developments Sri Lanka missed out on sending a national representative side for some key Asian rugby tournaments. The country was the loser as a result of SLR not being allowed to function as the national sports body for rugby.
When the Sri Lankan rugby players go abroad and perform creditably against topnotch Asian teams in the seven-a-side version of the game it brings credit to the country
Next to cricket it can be safely said that rugby is the most popular sport practised in the island. When the Sri Lankan rugby players go abroad and perform creditably against topnotch Asian teams in the seven-a-side version of the game it brings credit to the country. All this has been lost to Sri Lanka because of the present ban the sports minister has imposed on SLR. Also for the record World Rugby (WR) has imposed a ban on SLR citing political interference. As of now the only solace our rugby players have is that they can take part in overseas tournaments under the national Olympic flag. But a chunk of prestige and glory is lost competing in overseas tournaments in this manner.
The Sports Minister also banned the Football Federation of Sri Lanka early this year by suspending its registration with the Ministry of Sports. The news reaching the Daily Mirror is that this ban would be lifted soon and preparations are underway to have the football AGM in the near future. But news reaching us- that was good enough to produce a sneer- is that there were local football tournaments organised in the North Central Province courtesy ‘a very influential person there’ at a time when the FFSL was banned from sending a national team for overseas tournaments.
Two other sports which came under some kind of political interference are the Carom Federation and gymnastics. There is also speculation that a leading motor sports organization has also suffered rugby’s fate.
Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe has affirmed that he wants all sports federations to abide by the sports law. This is well and truly good, but what critics point out is why he has to go on a ‘mending course’ in sports when some sports are not ‘broken’?