Desperate ‘glasshouse’ faction switch to ‘throwing stones’ mode
In an attempt to halt the ongoing clean-up efforts at the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOCSL), a group of members has renewed their call for a leadership change, urging the current president to resign, citing constitutional violations and authoritarian leadership.
This action contradicts the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) directive in their January 15, 2025 letter, which insisted that elections for office bearers should occur at the end of the regular term and only after properly resolving the ongoing governance and ethical issues.
In December 2024, the NOCSL, where now-suspended Secretary General Maxwell de Silva commands majority support, passed a resolution to hold elections prematurely. This decision was made despite repeated directives from the IOC and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to first address the governance crisis stemming from financial misconduct allegations against de Silva. However, the IOC shot this down.
“Please note that we do not see any logical reason why the upcoming quadrennial elections of your NOC should be held earlier than expected, as was apparently suggested by a number of members, before resolving the ongoing internal governance and ethical issues in an appropriate manner,” stated James Mcleod, NOC Relations, Olympic Solidarity and Olympism365 Director of the IOC, in a joint letter signed by Husain Al-Musallam, Director General of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).
At a press conference in Colombo, several officials, including Chandana Liyanage, who was suspended from his position as Assistant Secretary of the NOC, announced they would seek IOC intervention to resolve the governance issues.
Liyanage, who represents the Sri Lanka Basketball Association, was suspended pending investigations into multiple violations including financial irregularities, collusion with other suspended officials, and unauthorised communications with international sporting bodies. However, the IOC has categorically stated it would not engage or communicate with anyone other than the president until the current issues are resolved.
“Under the current circumstances and as per usual protocol, please note that the NOC President will remain the main interlocutor of the IOC/OCA, and we will only consider communications addressed and signed by the NOC President (who is the legal representative of the NOC, as per your NOC Constitution), on behalf of the NOC,” the IOC and OCA emphasised in their January 15, 2025 letter.
Among those present at the press conference were Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) head Jaswar Umar, Liyanage, Modern Pentathlon Federation of Sri Lanka (MPFSL) President Nishantha Piyasena, and Gymnastics Association President Premanath C. Dolewatta.
They collectively voiced strong opposition to the current governance style of NOC President Suresh Subramaniam, who has held office since 2017, claiming his leadership has reached a ‘boiling point’.
In response, Subramaniam, who has successfully withstood pressure despite not commanding a majority in the committee, stated that these individuals are attempting to derail ongoing clean-up efforts because they fear the current forensic audit will expose misconduct.
The NOC Head added that nearly all officials at the press briefing face various allegations of impropriety during their time at the Olympic House, as highlighted in the Auditor General’s report, and remarked that “those in glass houses should not throw stones at others”.