BY SANDHYA DISSANAYAKE, ATTORNEY-AT-LAW
Image Courtesy: Internet
Sports Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage has placed full responsibility on Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) for the administrative failures that prevented the national men’s rugby team from travelling to South Korea for their Asian Rugby Emirates Men’s Championship fixture last week.
The unprecedented lapse resulted in the Tuskers missing their scheduled clash against hosts South Korea in Incheon on 13 June, with Asia Rugby subsequently awarding the home side a 20-0 walkover.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event on Monday (15), Minister Gamage described the incident as an avoidable administrative failure and confirmed that disciplinary action would be taken against the governing body.
“This is an incident that could have been best avoided by Sri Lanka Rugby,” the Minister said, noting that visa applications had only been submitted on Monday, 8 June, despite the team being scheduled to depart on Wednesday, 10 June.
Questioning the timing of the process, Gamage stressed that the delay amounted to negligence on the part of the federation rather than the Government.
“This is their negligence. This is not a Government issue; it is a federation issue. The buck stops with them. Once funding is provided, we cover the expenses,” he said.
The Minister called on SLR officials to explain why visa applications and travel arrangements were left until the last moment, adding that the Ministry should not be blamed for failures in administrative planning.
He also revealed that a similar issue had recently affected a junior national volleyball team, describing such incidents as part of a “deep-rooted malaise” within certain sports federations.
Gamage emphasised that national governing bodies must take greater responsibility for processing visas and travel documentation well in advance to avoid jeopardising international participation.
Reaffirming the Ministry’s position, he stated that disciplinary measures against SLR would be initiated shortly and lamented the impact such failures have on athletes.
“This is the bane of local sports. The sportsmen and women have to suffer for the short-sightedness of federation officials. It has to end somewhere down the line,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Rugby Players Association (SLRPA) has called for long-term structural reforms following the controversy.
In an open letter issued on Tuesday (16), SLRPA President Ashean Karthelis urged stakeholders, sponsors and the wider rugby community to collaborate in building a stronger administrative framework to better support national players.
Karthelis acknowledged that late squad changes and rigid overseas travel procedures had contributed to an administrative bottleneck but stressed that attention should now turn to sustainable solutions.
The SLRPA proposed the establishment of a structured and continuously updated National Player Management Framework to strengthen governance, logistics and operational systems as Sri Lanka expands its presence in regional and international rugby.
According to Karthelis, improving these systems will require the collective expertise and commitment of the entire Sri Lankan rugby fraternity to ensure athletes are never again disadvantaged by administrative shortcomings.
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