The Hon. Sugath Thilakaratne - Deputy Minister of Sports

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, today we are discussing regulations under the Sports Law No. 25 of 1973, covering 74 registered national sports federations.

¶ 02 First, to correct a point: the President of the Athletics Association was quoted as saying athletes are not receiving nutrition allowances. In fact, we grant Rs. 60,000 per month as a nutrition allowance to athletes. Regarding air tickets for overseas tours—not only for athletics but across sports—the Ministry has provided tickets post-COVID for every approved tour. We have not abandoned any sport; budgetary provisions have been made.

¶ 03 We are reforming to ensure proper governance, administration, and fairness to athletes. Some federations have had officials clinging to posts—Presidents and Secretaries—for 25 to 30 years, sometimes until their last days. They sought to travel with athletes rather than develop sport. Some even know the cheapest shopping complexes abroad better than performance plans.

¶ 04 Accordingly, we now cap terms: President, Secretary, and Treasurer—maximum 8 years; Executive Committee members—maximum 12 years. This is because many used positions for personal prestige, not athlete development. Our national sport, volleyball, has fallen to where we cannot even win South Asian titles. When we ask officials for plans, there are none.

¶ 05 We are giving this moment back to athletes. Yet, federations also fail to protect their talent. Our players go to Maldives for USD 500–800, some to Europe, sold for small sums because of weak structures. We have asked federations to submit squads aimed at the 2028 and 2032 Olympics; some delayed even after their trials concluded. As of this week, we have begun receiving names. The media hears one story; the reality inside is often poor federation performance. Many only want benefits from athletes, not to nurture them.

¶ 06 Still, we have assisted athletes on a case-by-case basis, even where federations withheld essential letters for visas due to personal biases or the athlete’s employer. Such practices must end, and these regulations under the Sports Law are designed to change that.

¶ 07 We are also engaging foreign expertise for volleyball—coaches and technical know-how—and will provide not just volleyballs but technical equipment for skills such as dash/hitting and other drills. We aim to build a sports culture across the country, bringing federations together to popularize and operationalize their sports nationwide.

¶ 08 We have athletes capable of winning Olympic medals. We will source foreign coaching, and for ten selected, medal-probable sports we will provide focused support.

¶ 09 School sport is the foundation. Funds have been allocated to school sport and sports schools, including nutrition allowances and scholarships—currently around 800 school athletes receive support, with equipment provided.

¶ 10 A key gap is coaches. The Ministry lacks sufficient coaches, and schools even more so. We will recruit and develop more coaches and coordinate with Education to strengthen school-level coaching.

¶ 11 We will also provide insurance for athletes participating in the upcoming National Games and for athletes selected to national pools. I myself was injured at the 1994 Asian Games without any insurance; I recovered and returned in 1995 due to personal commitment and our indigenous medicine. Future athletes should not face what we did.

¶ 12 We also see major potential in the sports economy and sports tourism. For example, cricket coaching has demand abroad—China and others—and Sri Lanka can supply this better than some competitors. But to do all this, we must unify and regulate federations, and ensure officials are people who love the country and sport. With that conviction, I conclude.

¶ 13 Thank you.