Minister of Sports Sunil Kumara Gamage has announced that disciplinary action will be taken against the Sri Lanka Rugby Federation after the national team was unable to obtain visas for their scheduled Asian Rugby Championship clash against South Korea, leading to the cancellation of the match last week.

Speaking to reporters, the Minister stressed that the responsibility for securing visas and tickets lies entirely with the respective sports federation, not the Ministry. 

He noted that federations cannot wait until the last minute to request visas, calling the incident a clear case of negligence.

“The Sports Ministry does not intervene in visa or ticket processes. If funding is provided, we cover expenses, but team selection and visa arrangements are solely the federation’s responsibility. The Federation cannot request for a visa on Monday if the team is to travel on Wednesday. This is the Federation’s negligence. This is not a government issue, it is an issue of the Federation or Association. We will take disciplinary action, as we have done before,” Gamage said.

The Minister added that such lapses cannot be allowed to continue, warning that federations often attempt to shift blame onto the Ministry when failures occur. 

He reiterated that the Rugby Federation must be held accountable for the cancellation, with the incident having drawn attention in Parliament as well. (Newswire)

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Twenty-one players selected to the Sri Lanka Rugby ‘Tier 3’ national pool were formally included in the government’s “Mission Olympic” program during a ceremony held today (26) at the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

Under the initiative, each player will receive a monthly allowance of Rs. 135,000 in recognition of their performances in local and international rugby competitions over the past year.

In addition, 16 members of the Sri Lanka women’s rugby team who recently won the Casa 7s tournament were each awarded a one-time incentive payment of Rs. 180,000.

The allowance handover ceremony was held at the Duncan White Auditorium under the patronage of Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Sunil Kumara Gamage.

Addressing the event, the Minister said Sri Lankan rugby had undergone a major revival after a period of administrative and legal challenges. He said the Rugby Union was re-established through reforms including the resolution of court cases, temporary administration under the Ministry, the introduction of a new constitution and the holding of elections to appoint new office-bearers.

Gamage said these reforms had helped Sri Lanka climb to third place in Asian rugby rankings.

He also noted that this was the first time a team sport had been included in the “Mission Olympic” program, which had previously focused only on athletics. The Minister said the government hoped to extend similar support to other team sports with international potential.

The Minister further stated that Cabinet approval had already been granted to introduce a mechanism to provide government employment opportunities for national-level athletes, with administrative arrangements currently in progress.

The event was attended by officials of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the Department of Sports Development, the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union and national rugby players. (Newswire)

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Former Sri Lanka and Ceylonese Rugby & Football Club captain Pavithra Fernando has been elected as the new President of Sri Lanka Rugby.

Fernando was elected to the post during the Annual General Meeting of Sri Lanka Rugby held at the Duncan White Auditorium Hall at the Sports Ministry complex earlier today.

The newly elected office bearers for the 2025/2026 term are as follows:

• President – Pavithra Fernando
• Deputy President – Shanitha Fernando
• Vice President – Chinthaka Perera
• General Secretary – Subash Jayatilaka
• Treasurer – Neomal Ekanayake
• Female Representative – Thilini Rangani
• Athlete Representative – Stephan Gregory (Newswire)

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