Sri Lanka risks international athletics ban

Administrative paralysis puts athletes and funding at risk, veteran athletic officials warn

By Susil Premalal

Sri Lanka faces the serious risk of an international athletics ban if the current administrative paralysis at Sri Lanka Athletics (SLA) continues, veteran athletic officials warn. A suspension by World Athletics (formerly IAAF) would severely impact the country’s athletes and the nation’s sporting reputation.

Former SLA President Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Palitha Fernando told the Daily Mirror that any such ban would be the direct responsibility of the Sports Ministry and the Department of Sports Development, who are currently overseeing athletics after administrative disputes halted SLA operations.

Sri Lanka, one of Asia’s leading athletics nations outside cricket, has won numerous medals since 1948 in the Olympic Games, Youth Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, World Athletics Championships, Asian Games, Asian Athletic Championships (senior and junior), and South Asian Games. Fernando warned that a global suspension would be an unprecedented setback:

“If Sri Lanka suffers an international ban due to administrative shortcomings, it will push the sport into the worst situation in its history.”

SLA has been inactive since August 2025, after complications in the nomination process for its 2025–2027 elections. The administration was subsequently placed under the Department of Sports Development.

Veteran athletes point out that keeping athletics under temporary state administration—despite no legal obstacles to holding elections—violates the rights of athletes and undermines the progress of the sport.

Over the past six months, no development programmes, planning initiatives, or preparations for the upcoming international season have taken place. As a result, international funding and development support allocated for 2025 have been withheld by World Athletics, including funds for the annual Athletic Development Project. National training squads—elite, national, youth, and junior levels—are also currently inactive.

Coaches warn that if the deadlock continues, Sri Lanka will struggle to prepare athletes or conduct selections for 19 major international athletics events scheduled for 2026, further aggravating the decline of the sport.
They stress that without immediate restoration of proper governance, Sri Lanka’s athletics could face long-term damage, affecting athletes’ opportunities and the country’s international standing.