Here is why local girls who performed during the ICC T-20 championship in Sri Lanka were dubbed by several foreign media as eyesores — they were hired for a lesser fee though the sponsors had paid large amounts. The Sunday Times learns that Sudev Abeysekara, the man behind the exercise that won much bad publicity [...]

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Big money behind T-20 cheerleader fiasco

By Charundi Panagoda
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Here is why local girls who performed during the ICC T-20 championship in Sri Lanka were dubbed by several foreign media as eyesores — they were hired for a lesser fee though the sponsors had paid large amounts.

The Sunday Times learns that Sudev Abeysekara, the man behind the exercise that won much bad publicity for Sri Lanka, was paid Rs. 3 million for promoting cheerleaders whose gaudy makeup won them few fans at the matches.
At first, an initial advance of Rs. 300,000 was paid in August last year for “Reliance Cheerleaders”, a second advance of Rs. 600,000 at the start of the event, another Rs. 600,000 as a third advance early this month and Rs. 1, 500,000 on the last day of the championship.

The payments were made to Mr. Abeysekara’s company Latino Connections by a company called Bini Solutionz, the “official sportainment supplier” contracted by Maverick Experience Exhilarator (Pvt) Ltd of South Africa. The Department of the Registrar of Companies’ online database does not list Latino Connections or Bini Solutionz as registered companies. The two companies were not listed in the National Business Directory either.

Mr. Abeysekara was contracted by a Sportainment Operations Director Bimal Siridemuni at Bini Solutionz. Mr. Siridemuni’s number was disconnected.

Under contract conditions, Mr. Abeysekara was responsible for procuring 24 female dancers each stadium and providing them with meals, accommodation and transport. He was also ordered to showcase three rehearsals of the dance sequences prior to the first match.

A spectator who attended the tournament said there were about twelve cheerleaders there, not 24. “I saw six girls on the podium, then two groups of three girls around the stadium,” he said.

ICC country representative Shane Fernando redirected all questions to T-20 Tournament Director Upeka Nell, who refused to comment. The Sunday Times could not reach Mr. Abeysekara for comment.




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