NOC swaying into more trouble?
Just three days after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) imposed a funding suspension on the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOCSL), its General Assembly convened on Friday and decided to call for an early election in March next year. The election of office bearers are scheduled for March 31.
However, this move conspicuously avoided addressing the core issue at hand: allegations of financial misappropriation and the Ethics Committee’s recommendations for action.
The Ethics Committee of the IOC had called for the immediate suspension of the NOCSL’s Secretary General, Maxwell de Silva, over serious allegations of financial misconduct. Both the IOC and its regional affiliate, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), have repeatedly demanded the implementation of these recommendations. Yet, despite multiple reminders and now the suspension of funds, the General Assembly has remained steadfast in protecting the embattled Secretary General.
At the Special General Meeting held on Friday, the Secretary General de Silva’s allies refused to engage with the IOC’s concerns. Instead, they proposed that the current crisis could only be resolved by electing a new committee, a move widely seen as an attempt to oust Suresh Subramaniam–the man who is fighting a losing battle against de Silva and his cronies. These allegations were substantiated by government auditors and have sparked widespread calls for accountability.
This blatant defiance raises serious questions about the silence of Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Sports under the new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake government. The government, which has proclaimed its commitment to eradicating corruption, has thus far failed to intervene despite clear instructions from the IOC and OCA to implement the Ethics Committee’s recommendations. In a joint letter, the IOC and OCA expressed their dismay over the ongoing governance crisis.
“This extremely regrettable situation, which has been seriously tarnishing the credibility and reputation of your NOC, has been going on for too long and has been creating a lot of uncertainty and doubts relating to the internal governance and operations of your NOC,” the letter stated.
The letter further clarified the immediate consequences of non-compliance: “Consequently, we regret to inform you that the IOC/Olympic Solidarity and the OCA are no longer in a position to make any payments to your NOC, except for direct payments to athletes benefiting from Olympic scholarships. This protection and precautionary measure will apply with immediate effect and until further notice, i.e., until appropriate action is taken by your NOC to resolve its internal governance disputes and ethical issues.”
Adding to the turmoil, former NOCSL Treasurer and Executive Committee Member Rohan Fernando issued a damning statement accusing both the President and the Secretary General of undermining good governance protocols. Fernando alleged that repeated warnings about corruption involving the Secretary General, the former President, and the former Treasurer had been ignored. He criticised the IOC’s handling of the matter, pointing to their failure to address evidence-backed allegations.
“Even the letters written to the IOC and Asian Olympic Committees with substantive evidence were disregarded,” Fernando stated.
“Instead, they sent another corrupt official, Hider Ferman from IOC Lausanne, who failed to investigate the allegations but sided with the contesting President and Secretary General, giving them a clean bill to continue their operations.”
Fernando called for drastic action, urging the immediate resignation of the current Executive Committee and the appointment of independent, impartial sports professionals to restore integrity.
“In the interest of NOC and sports in general, for good governance and transparency, the current Executive Committee must resign forthwith,” he said.
“The IOC must also acknowledge its irresponsibility in not evaluating the allegations submitted in 2016 and hold itself accountable for this debacle.”
This ongoing saga has plunged the NOCSL into one of its darkest periods, with the credibility of the organisation’s leadership in shambles and its reputation on the line. Unless decisive action is taken to address the governance issues and ethical violations, Sri Lanka risks being sidelined on the global Olympic stage, leaving its athletes to bear the brunt of these administrative failings.
“Please take note of the fact that as pointed out by Jerome Macleod (IOC 365 Director), this serious governance issue is going to damage the reputation of NOCSL leading to harsh action by IOC”, wrote Debendranath Sarangi, Chairman OCA Ethics Committee in his latest communique to NOCSL President, highlighting the looming dangers in the face of inaction.