New dates proposed for NOC election

By Susil Premalal

The National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOCSL) has formally proposed three possible dates in April to conduct its long-overdue 2025–2029 election and conveying the dates to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) for approval.

Following a recent Special General Meeting (SGM), the NOCSL unanimously decided to recommend April 22, April 24 or April 30 as potential dates, requesting the IOC to identify the most suitable option.

According to Olympic regulations, at least one or two IOC-appointed observers must be present for any NOC election. Speaking to the Daily Mirror, NOCSL president Suresh Subramaniam confirmed yesterday that the IOC has yet to respond to the proposed dates.

Subramaniam, who is currently overseas receiving medical treatment, is expected to return to Sri Lanka early next week. He stated that discussions with the IOC would be prioritised upon his return to finalise the election date.

“I have no intention of delaying this process any further. I want the election held as soon as possible and to hand over responsibility to an honest, corruption-free new executive committee,” Subramaniam said. “In every organisation I have previously led, elections were conducted on time and power was duly transferred.”

Earlier, the IOC formally directed the NOCSL to complete its overdue election and AGM no later than the end of April 2026. This directive was communicated in writing through a letter dated January 12, 2026, jointly signed by James McLeod, IOC Director for NOC Relations, Olympic Solidarity and Olympism 365, and Husain Al-Musallam, Director General of the OCA.

The letter further confirmed that the IOC and OCA will continue to recognise Suresh Subramaniam and the current Executive Committee as the legitimate leadership of NOCSL until the election is properly conducted and concluded in full compliance with Olympic regulations.