Sri Lanka Rugby to hire High Performance Manager
Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) is on a hiring spree as they gear up for a return to international rugby next year and conducting domestic competitions after a hiatus of nearly nine months because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among the positions advertised on the ‘Sri Lanka Tuskers’ page of Facebook is that of a High Performance Manager. Former Sri Lanka fullback Inthisham Marikar held this position two years ago when Asanga Seneviratne headed the SLR but his successor Lasitha Gunaratne discontinued his services. The new SLR president Rizly Illyas has revived this position. SLR is also looking to appoint a Head of Administration and Social Media Manager with the closing date for applications being January 5.
Sri Lanka is set to host three Asian tournaments next year following the announcement of Asia Rugby’s 2021 rugby calendar. They are scheduled to host the Asian 15-a-side Division 1 Men’s Championship with the participation of UAE, Philippines and Singapore from May 26 to 29, Asian Sevens (men’s and women’s) third leg on September 25 and 26, and the Asian Under-19 15-a-side Championship with the participation of host Sri Lanka, Taipei, South Korea and Hong Kong at Race Course.
Sri Lanka juniors have four competitions in 2021: Two Under-19 15-a-side championships (one in March which was postponed from 2020, and another in November); an Under-18 Sevens Tournament in August; and Asia 7s U-20 in October.
SLR has allocated Rs 127 million for the men’s and women’s national rugby pools in their budget of Rs 226 million for the 2021 rugby season which was handed to the Sports Ministry recently.
Their long-term plan is to develop and implement the high performance programme for the Sevens format of the game, target winning a medal at the 2022 Asian Games, qualify for the 2024 Olympics, and also qualify for the 2026 World Rugby Sevens Series (men).