The Hon. (Mrs.) Nilanthi Kottahachchi, Attorney-at-Law

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, in a country where sports culture once invited a mother to place a medal on the child who won the race she cheered, we had allowed politics to distort that ethos. We took office to ensure every child and youth can live “a prosperous country – a beautiful life.” We must accept that sport is a creed to be believed, not a medal to be worn. Changing that political culture makes today decisive. WADA and the International Convention annually list prohibited substances and methods, in-competition and, at times, out-of-competition. Today we table and seek approval to give effect to that list domestically.

¶ 02 Why must we, as legislators, act? Because doping as a means to cheat undermines fair competition. About 30% of the world’s population are youth; in Sri Lanka, about 38%. In a country where dreams were shattered, sport is the best path for youth and children to rebuild and take Sri Lanka to the world. The Opposition blames a “76-year curse,” but their misgovernance is what our children are suffering today. We cannot ignore it; we must act.

¶ 03 Sport is not just participation or victory; it builds a disciplined, healthy, active, intelligent generation. Therefore, adopting the annually updated prohibited list is vital.

¶ 04 For the gallery of schoolchildren here, let me recall history: In 1967, Tom Simpson, a famed cyclist, died; post-mortem revealed doping. In 1988 Seoul, Ben Johnson lost his 100m gold due to doping. Lance Armstrong lost seven Tour de France titles for doping. In 2000, our Asian sprinter Susanthika Jayasinghe was upgraded to silver after Marion Jones was stripped for doping. There are ample global and national examples of how doping ruins careers and reputations.

¶ 05 As a new Government, we must take this knowledge to schools, youth, and national athletes. Recently, the Ministry of Youth and Sports organized an all-island competition themed “A true victory – a clean sport,” promoting fair play. Our Deputy Minister Sugath Thilakaratne stated we should extend testing to school level; the public response—parents, coaches, principals—was strongly positive. Rural schools with limited facilities produce immensely talented children who often lack nutrition and resources, while others may gain unfair advantage through banned substances. Our responsibility is equal opportunity and protecting merit.

¶ 06 In this Budget, we allocated for five sports schools across five provinces and have begun work. The stipend for students in sports schools has been doubled from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 10,000. Globally, countries invest heavily in sports infrastructure: China’s national fitness programme since 1995; Australia sees social returns of USD 16.2 billion annually from community sports infrastructure. We aim to shape policy and regulation to attract domestic and foreign investment into sport.

¶ 07 We will ensure the legal framework and administration uphold sport as a creed—not a trinket. Thank you.