WR issues ultimatum on Sri Lanka
In a letter dated February 14, 2025 addressed to key stakeholders–Asia Rugby (AR) President Qais Abdulla Al Dhalai, National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOCSL) President Suresh Subramaniam, and Director General of Sports Shemal Fernando, World Rugby’s Chief of International Federation David Carrigy highlighted the urgency of the situation. The letter emphasised that Sri Lanka must implement a restructured governance framework, approve a new constitution, and conduct elections by June 15, 2025.
The warning comes after prolonged internal disputes, political interference, and governance failures that have plagued Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) for years. Despite previous opportunities to rectify these issues, mismanagement and power struggles have continued to destabilise the sport. With this final extension granted, there will be no more room for any delays.
“The World Rugby Executive Board has granted an extension for a period of no longer than 4 months, i.e. from February 15, until June 15, 2025, within which time all outstanding governance matters concerning SLR must be adequately resolved,” a copy of the letter which the Sunday Times in possession reads.
“A failure to approve and enact a new constitution and hold elections, (in accordance with the applicable legal and governance procedures within this timeframe), will result in the immediate imposition of sanctions upon SLR”.
Accordingly, World Rugby and Asia Rugby, in consultation with key stakeholders, have agreed to form a Working Task force that will oversee and assist in implementing the necessary changes before the June 15 deadline. The task force includes representatives from Asia Rugby, the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan government, and World Rugby.
The task force has been assigned two crucial phases with phase one will look at reviewing and approving a new constitution in line with WR guidelines, verifying the eligibility of voting members, particularly provincial unions, for participation in a Special General Meeting (SGM) or Annual General Meeting (AGM), gaining approval from all stakeholders for the proposed governance framework and scheduling and conducting the SGM to formalise these reforms.
The Phase Two as highlighted in the letter includes overseeing the implementation of the new governance structure and constitution, conducting elections under the supervision of the NOC, Ministry of Youth and Sports, AR, and WR to ensure transparency and legitimacy. An AR representative will chair the taskforce, and an initial online meeting will be arranged soon to set the working processes in motion.
While the formation of the task force is a step in the right direction, there remains a deep-seated concern about whether these measures will be executed effectively. The biggest challenge now is ensuring that the agreed-upon reforms materialise without further delays or manipulation.
After unrelenting internal battles within the SLR, its last duly elected President Rizly Illyas was forced to vacate the position on August 21, 2023, after WR demanded his resignation, or face a suspension. While Illyas respected WR’s demand as Sri Lanka was on the verge of a global ban, matters deepened under SLR’s Acting President Nalin de Silva, who was elevated from Deputy President, until the Ministry of Sports, under the then Sports Minister Harin Fernando, suspended SLR on May 31, 2024 for failing of to conduct the AGM on the set annual deadline, alongside three other sports associations. SLR was then brought under a Competent Authority (CA), who is the current Director General of Sports.
However continuous internal estrangements and legal disputes among few factions of SLR, dragged its chances of holding the AGM and facilitating the required Constitutional Amendments as required by WR and AR. Until December 6, 2024, SLR was structurally or lawfully nowhere near of conducting the AGM and adopting the required amendments to its Constitution, mainly due to failures of a few power hungry individuals, or political interference resulting in suspensions from AR and WR from time to time.
Eventually, when the date was set to hold the AGM on January 21, 2025, in accordance with the existing SLR constitution, which was apparently meant to be amended as required by WR after the election of an Executive Committee, through a SGM, a fresh court case filed at the Colombo District Court by former SLR President Lasitha Gunaratne, on the grounds of wrongful rejection of his nomination for the President’s position at the intended AGM. After the District Court issued an enjoining order, preventing the SLR AGM from taking place indefinitely, the seven Provincial Unions that were engaged in continuous legal battles to get the AGM back on track, filed a fresh petition in the Court of Appeal against the DG, also the CA, for Contempt of Court, returnable on March 25. Prior to the District Court’s enjoining order on January 30, the CA had issued a directive to all stakeholders of SLR on January 8 that the intended SLR election was put on hold following a written complaint by a candidate to the AR.
WR’s David Carrigy and Ridzal Saat, the Regional Partnership Manager, earlier visited Sri Lanka in July 2023 on a fact finding mission, to meet stakeholders of rugby, including the duly elected SLR Executive Committee, the NOC and the Ministry of Sports officials, but matters still remain stagnated for nearly two years.