Sin-binned!!!
The Sports Ministry has intensified its involvement in the government’s ‘Clean Sri Lanka’ campaign by taking firm action against the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOCSL), an organisation long plagued by deep-rooted corruption and manipulation.
Following the NOCSL’s continuous failure to implement its own Ethics Committee’s recommendations to suspend Secretary General Maxwell de Silva over serious allegations of financial misconduct, the Ministry of Sports on Friday wielded its power by implementing the recommendation.
The suspension comes four days after the ministry informed the International Olympic Committee (IOC), that it will take matters into its own hands to implement the Ethics Committee’s recommendations to facilitate impartial and independent investigations.
This decision comes after repeated demands by the IOC and its regional affiliate, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), for the NOCSL to act on these recommendations. Despite multiple reminders and subsequent suspension of funds, the General Assembly of the NOCSL—where de Silva enjoys majority support—remained steadfast in shielding the embattled Secretary General.
The Ministry of Sports, after months of silence, has decided to confront the issue head-on and initiate reforms to clean up the deeply corrupt institution, which has historically served the interests of its members rather than the broader sporting community.
The ministry’s decision also follows clearance from the Attorney General’s Department, which has endorsed the Ethics Committee’s recommendations. De Silva has vowed to take legal action.
“I hereby inform you as per the power vested Hon. Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports under the Section 39 of the Sports Law No 25 of 1973, Hon. Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports has granted his approval to suspend you with immediate effect from any duties, activities and responsibilities of the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka to carry out impartial and independent investigations,” informed Secretary to the Ministry Youth Affairs and Sports Aruna Bandara to de Silva in a letter dated January 10, 2025.
Ministry has identified five key reasons for the suspension of de Silva. The allegations made in parliament regarding NOCSL based on the finding of the Auditor General’s report, the recommendations of the three-member committee which inquired the said allegation, the recommendations of the Ethics Committee which called for de Silva’s immediate suspension, suspension of funds by IOC and over non-implementation of the Ethics Committee recommendations and the pending investigations by the CID on finding of the audit report and the three-member committee report.
On January 6, 2025, Sports Ministry Secretary informed the IOC and OCA of the impending suspension of de Silva and why they were compelled to take the action.
“Accordingly, please note that this ministry is taking action to implement the recommendations of the Ethics Committee of NOCSL in order to carry out impartial and independent investigations,” Aruna Bandara, the Secretary to the Ministry of Sports, informed James Macleod, Director of NOC Relations, Olympic Solidarity, and Olympism365 of the IOC, in a letter dated January 6, 2025.
The two-page letter, also copied to Hussain Al Musallam, Director General of the OCA, states that the NOCSL is fully responsible for implementing the recommendations. However, due to its inaction, the ministry has sought the involvement of law enforcement agencies, including the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), to minimise governmental intervention while upholding the NOCSL’s independence.
An investigation by a three-member committee, led by the Director General of Sports, highlighted a government audit finding that both the President and Secretary General of the NOCSL had each claimed $10,000 for travel and accommodation during the Rio Olympics 2016, despite already receiving compensation from the IOC. The officials delayed reimbursing these funds, resulting in the NOC covering the costs in Sri Lankan rupees. Reimbursement occurred only in 2017, over a year after the expenses were incurred.
The IOC report revealed that in 2016, the NOC spent Rs. 791,690 for the Chairman and Rs. 1,064,018 for the Secretary General. The funds were eventually returned to the NOC on April 6 and December 4, 2017.
The report also stated that de Silva, the Secretary General since 2009, admitted to taking six individuals to an international event without obtaining mandatory ministerial approval. These allegations, substantiated by government auditors, have sparked widespread calls for accountability.
Despite mounting pressure for his resignation, de Silva, backed by his allies, has resisted engaging with the IOC’s concerns. Instead, they proposed resolving the crisis by electing a new committee—a move widely seen as an attempt to oust the incumbent NOC chief Suresh Subramaniam, who has been fighting against de Silva’s faction.
Observers have praised the Sports Ministry’s firm stance and have called for further action against other officials aligned with de Silva, who have used the NOCSL for personal gain.
Meanwhile, de Silva, despite being under fire, had represented the Ski and Snowboard Association of Sri Lanka (SSASL) at an Emergency General Meeting (EGM), despite no longer being affiliated with the association. According to Deva Hendry, President of the SSASL, the association had nominated himself, its Secretary Gamini Jayasinghe, and Ms. Tamara Herath as representatives. However, when Ms. Herath failed to attend, de Silva replaced her name with his own. In a message to its members, NOC President Suresh Subramaniam labelled de Silva’s actions as fraudulent. Hendry corroborated this, stating, “Going through all the mails, it appears that the Secretary General has committed a fraudulent act at the EGM.”