The Hon. Sunil Kumara Gamage
Hon. Sunil Kumara Gamage clarified that athlete selection and logistical arrangements are the responsibility of sports federations and their selection committees, while the Ministry may only fund or facilitate. He highlighted government support for para-sports, including engagement with India’s visually impaired cricket sector and investment in accessible equipment and infrastructure. He said the Ministry is pursuing inquiries and legal action involving several federations, and presented the Amendment Bill as a measure to strengthen the sports governance framework; the Bill was then read a Second time, referred to Committee, and reported without amendment.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Selection issues often arise. People think the Ministry or Minister selects athletes. In fact, the responsibility lies with Selection Committees of the respective federations. They conduct trials, select squads, and submit lists. Likewise, travel arrangements, visas, tickets, and related logistics are the federations’ responsibility; the Ministry may fund or facilitate, but accountability lies with the federations.
¶ 02 We are also promoting para-sports. We have engaged with India’s visually impaired cricket community, working towards a world championship. Our para-athletes have had the most international exposure this year. Our policy is fairness and non-discrimination—equipment and infrastructure are being developed with significant capital investment this year.
¶ 03 We are engaged in numerous legal actions with federations and are unafraid—recently we prevailed in three cases. Eleven federations are currently under our Ministry for inquiry and corrective action. This Amendment Bill is part of strengthening the framework. Once passed today, related issues will also be resolved. Thank you for the time.
¶ 04 Question put, and agreed to.
¶ 05 Bill accordingly read a Second time.
¶ 06 Resolved: “That the Bill be referred to a Committee of the whole Parliament.” - [The Hon. Sunil Kumara Gamage]
¶ 07 Considered in Committee.
¶ 08 [THE HON. PRESIDING MEMBER in the Chair.]
¶ 09 Clauses 1 to 28 ordered to stand part of the Bill. Enacting Clause and Title ordered to stand part of the Bill. Bill reported without Amendment.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Tuesday, 7 October 2025 ·No. 22573 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Sunil Kumara Gamage. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 7 October 2025. No. 22573. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/9977