National Gymnasts Caught in Sports Ministry Power Play

By: Allaam Ousman

Suspension of Olympian and National coach to protect powerful insider stuns gymnastic fraternity

Sri Lanka’s gymnastics fraternity has been shaken by the sudden and arbitrary suspension of national coach Ranjana Taranga — a respected Olympian and trainer of the country’s top gymnasts — in what appears to be a calculated move to favour a rival coach with powerful ministry connections. On June 20, Taranga received a suspension letter with no reason stated. By June 23, he was transferred to the Bandaragama Sports Complex, a facility without any gymnastics apparatus.

The decision came just as dates for the National Sports Festival had been finalised — raising suspicions that the timing was no accident.

“This is a crime against sport,” said one distraught parent. “A coach  who produced Olympians is being paid a government salary to sit idle, while his athletes are abandoned.” For years, Taranga conducted systematic, high-performance training at Torrington Indoor Complex, home to Sri Lanka’s national pool.

His sudden transfer has scuttled preparations for the Youth Olympics and the World Championships this year — competitions where Sri Lanka’s brightest gymnasts had pinned their hopes.

When parents enquired, the Sports Ministry claimed the transfer was “temporary” and subject to inquiry. Yet the official letter carried no such clause.

The move has been branded haphazard, irregular, and without due process — no inquiry, no charges, no show-cause notice. At the core of the controversy is another gymnastics coach attached to the Sports Ministry, who stands to gain from Taranga’s removal.

This coach reportedly enjoys the protection of a top official at the Department of Sports Development, whose son is a gymnast at Royal College — where the same ministry coach also happens to draw a salary while being a ministry employee.

This blatant conflict of interest has infuriated parents and officials alike. Shockingly, the ministry coach has even advertised that his classes are held at the Royal MAS Arena on Tuesdays.

In reality, Royal gymnasts have been training at Torrington’s national facility, which is strictly meant for national pool athletes — yet the ministry has turned a blind eye.

The Royal MAS Arena itself has no gymnastics apparatus. Sources inside the Sports Ministry allege that officials have misled the Sports Minister, who now risks taking the blame when the truth emerges. “This is nothing but a conspiracy to deny national pool gymnasts their rightful coach,” said a senior official. “The Minister has been hoodwinked, and if he does not act now, the entire sport will pay the price.” As the gymnastics community reels, one thing is clear: Sri Lanka’s athletes are the biggest losers in this bureaucratic power play.

Unless the suspension is overturned and transparency restored, the country’s chances on the international stage could collapse — and the credibility of sports governance will suffer another devastating blow.