The Hon. Sunil Kumara Gamage - Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, today we debate Regulations under the Sports Law No. 25 of 1973. This morning an Hon. Member claimed I lied about presenting regulations. He forgets that these regulations were gazetted in May, referred to Committee, debated (even in the Committee he sat on), and are now before the House. The Opposition often shouts “lie” as a reflex.

¶ 02 I expected the Opposition to read the regulations, point out shortcomings, and bring proposals to uplift Sri Lankan sport. Apart from one Member’s brief assessment, nothing substantive was raised—showing that these are strong, constructive regulations.

¶ 03 We studied all Gazettes under the Sports Law since 1973. With a team including the State Minister and legal experts, we worked for months to diagnose issues and drafted these regulations to revive sports.

¶ 04 Key measures: - Term limits: Many federation officers held posts (president/secretary/treasurer) for 15–25 years without progress. We limit holding principal offices to 8 years. Those exceeding must leave office. This follows international best practice and targets no individual. - Gender representation: In sports where women participate, the executive committee of the relevant federation must mandatorily include at least two women in principal roles. This is overdue. - Integrity: Those involved in fraud and corruption are disqualified from office.

¶ 05 Beyond regulations, in the last six months our Ministry prioritized cleaning and strengthening federations—because national sports develop only as far as federations function well. We advanced a “Clean Federation” concept. We have even gone to court and conducted inquiries where necessary.

¶ 06 Rugby had fallen into an abyss; the federation was inactive and World Rugby had suspended us. We intervened and resolved it, even bringing a New Zealand rugby team for two exhibition matches—the first New Zealand rugby team to play here in 100 years.

¶ 07 We popularized dragon boats and traditional rowing with the Chinese Embassy through a Dragon Boat Festival, bringing children from the North to Colombo. We bused about 80 athletes and around 100 parents, hosted them for three days with meals, accommodation and transport. A team from Delft Island won an event. Talent identification across all regions is our duty; we make no divisions.

¶ 08 Under the Clean Sri Lanka programme we held a large cycling rally to revive a declining sport and nurture a sports culture. We are working to restart traditional bicycle races, including “Lanka Savaariya,” not held for 20 years; discussions are advanced to hold it this year.

¶ 09 After 59 years, we hosted an international boxing tournament in Sri Lanka with athletes from 21 countries, giving our boxers needed exposure.

¶ 10 School grounds are in disrepair. From the Budget, we have selected 100–150 grounds at district level for development; funds have been allocated and lists sent to District Secretaries. Work has commenced.

¶ 11 High-performance pathway: We have begun granting Rs. 10,000 monthly to about 900 school athletes in the national pipeline. National athletes currently receive Rs. 60,000 monthly nutrition allowance. We have identified a high-performance group with the State Minister and the National Sports Council, targeting the next Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and the 2028 Olympics; we will unveil it next week. For that elite group, we aim to provide at least Rs. 100,000 per athlete per month (and more where justified), and comparable support for coaches, recognizing their crucial role.

¶ 12 On air tickets: For all planned and approved events, we have provided tickets. But we sometimes receive sudden lists of 20, 30, 40 athletes to various countries without due process or budget. We cannot, and will not, support such ad hoc demands. There are also attempts by some politicians to buy athletes with money—we will expose such practices.

¶ 13 We will create public grounds so people can freely play and exercise in the evenings—rebuilding community facilities that have disappeared.

¶ 14 We are also implementing special programmes for the North and East—Jaffna, Mannar, Vavuniya, Trincomalee, Ampara—placing extra emphasis on facilities and development, both to prevent renewed communalism and to draw youth away from narcotics. We will equip them and raise those regions to exemplary standards. Together with the State Minister and our team, we pledge to take Sri Lankan sport to the international stage and to victories. Thank you.