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

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, we have been debating the Bill to amend the Convention against Doping in Sport Act, No. 33 of 2013. In preparing this, we held multiple rounds with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Their inputs evolved over time; we took several Cabinet Memoranda accordingly. There has been no delay or inefficiency—every procedural step required for such legislation has been duly followed and documented.

¶ 02 This morning the Opposition tried to spin narratives around it. We are not perturbed; we proceed with empathy and clarity.

¶ 03 Two main aspects guided the amendments: - Reducing ministerial appointments to the Board, per WADA recommendations, thereby limiting ministerial powers. We have no desire to politicize institutions; we agreed to relevant international conditions. - Calibrating sanctions and legal processes with advice from the Attorney General’s Department and legal experts to ensure fairness, especially where athletes may be unwittingly implicated through coaches or others.

¶ 04 Sri Lanka’s anti-doping testing in 2023 covered 150 athletes; four tested positive for prohibited substances. Most cases arise in cycling, powerlifting, and bodybuilding. With these amendments, the Agency will be legally strengthened to guide athletes away from doping, conduct testing, and run awareness—especially at schools.

¶ 05 The Opposition claimed that because of this Bill, athletes cannot compete internationally, events are banned, flags barred, and funds lost. These are blatant falsehoods. For example: - World Para Athletics Championships are ongoing; a Sri Lankan athlete has already secured a victory. - We are set for the Asian Youth Games in Bahrain in 2025; arrangements for our contingent are in place. - The World Athletics Championships concluded recently in Japan; on 18 September, Rumesh Tharanga competed in javelin under our national flag and achieved a notable result.

¶ 06 Where, then, are competitions “banned”? If one cites a ban, at least name the event. Do not bring “handy lies” to Parliament.

¶ 07 On funding: we launched “Mission Olympics” to prepare athletes for the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and World Championships. For the first time, Tiered athlete stipends are provided: - Four tiers; top tier athlete receives Rs. 210,000 per month (Rs. 150,000 allowance + Rs. 60,000 nutrition). Coaches too receive stipends for the first time: - Tier 1 coach Rs. 100,000; Tier 2 Rs. 65,000; Tier 3 Rs. 50,000; Tier 4 Rs. 35,000. Athlete tiers receive Rs. 210,000; Rs. 160,000; Rs. 135,000; Rs. 110,000 respectively. We have funds because we prevent theft, rigged tenders, and waste.

¶ 08 We work across districts. Last week we opened a new swimming pool in Mannar—a project we revived. We laid the foundation for an indoor stadium at St. Xavier’s College, Mannar. We will make Mannar known for sport as well as for its lagoons. We will not neglect any region—North, East, West—these are all our people.

¶ 09 Sri Lanka has 74 registered national sports federations. They are independent bodies and sometimes have issues—our society has long tolerated corruption from top down; federations are not magically pure. We are cleaning and putting them on track with new regulations and a forthcoming Sports Act suited to our federations. We will not halt sport or ban federations to make administration “easy.” We will fix administration while sport continues and competitions proceed.