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The Extraordinary Gazette notification issued by Minister Namal Rajapaksa on 18 September[/caption]
The Extraordinary gazette notification No.2193/55 issued on Friday (18) by Minister of Youth and Sports Namal Rajapaksa defining the latest procedure of appointing the Selection Committees of the National Associations of Sports has created more problems than solutions, ‘The Morning Sports’ learns.
This is owing mainly to the fact that the newly introduced procedure of sending those names for ‘the consideration’ of the newly-appointed National Sports Council (NSC), which is to ‘submit its agreement’ on those names to the Minister subsequently.
How can current active coaches and heads as well as leading figures of various sports clubs (Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara), owners of privately-run sports academies (Julian Bolling), and, to a lesser degree, those who are still actively involved in sports (Dilantha Malagamuwa) involve in such sensitive national-level selection procedures, some of the stakeholders who ‘The Morning Sports’ talked, questioned this week.
Selecting national teams and squads too
Before issuing the said gazetted notification on appointing Selection Committees of respective sports, Minister Rajapaksa had categorically mentioned that, from now on, he is going to depend on the NSC’s opinion and advice on finalising on the national sports teams and squads too.
This means the NSC will have an unprecedented hand in naming the country’s National Selection Panels as well as national squads and teams. This new setup is going to be extremely volatile with regard to the country’s leading sport, cricket.
SSC ‘buying’ other players
Mahela Jayawardene is the Coach of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, Mumbai Indians. There are many Sri Lankan players who are enlisted in the IPL auction every year and there are Sri Lankans who are playing in other franchises and even in his own franchise (Lasith Malinga). Where will he stand when a decision is to be taken by the NSC on, say, Lasith Malinga?
At the same time Jayawardene ‘importing’ players from other clubs to strengthen his Singhalese Sports Club (SSC), where he is heading its cricket committee, was a focal point in the media this month. Since July, when he was appointed in SSC’s high position, many other clubs, including Chilaw Marians and Saracens, directly accused SSC for luring their top players for ‘bigger offers’. What will this same Jayawardene do when those names for national squads come for his ‘consideration’ and ‘agreement’?
Can Minister overrule them?
Sangakkara is a live-wire of the Nondescripts Cricket Club (NCC). He is involved in international cricket and the IPL in various capacities. There are players who are still active at the national level, who have played along with both Jayawardene and Sangakkara. Will the two be expected to be independent when such names are in consideration in the NSC?
At the same time, will Minister Rajapaksa be able to overrule any ‘cricketing decision’ coming from the NSC, even if he is necessitated to do so, simply for the fact that the NSC is consisting of two of the biggest cricketing names today – Sanga and Mahela?
Many have already panicked
This new situation after the gazette would have already panicked many stakeholders in sports. It might relieve the new Minister from many unwanted ‘selection disputes’ but allowing NSC an unreasonable, bigger say in all top-level national selections could put him in a bigger problem than that in future.
There are other issues too. Who are the leading athletic experts in the present NSC who will have to consider the national athletic selections? Will the swimming fraternity in the country have any modest view on any NSC ratification on the sports when Bolling, still a live member and runner of a swimming-related business, sits on that Council?
Unrelated veterans ideal
The composition of Minister Rajapaksa’s new NSC is too much driven by his corporate ambitions. Most of them are actively involved in their private businesses (again ones like Jayawardene and Sangakkara) and therefore it will be difficult for the NSC, as a whole, to justify its decisions, relating to both its routine and specific areas.
It would have been different if others who are now retired and not involved directly in either sports or business –i.e. Bandula Warnapura or Sidath Wettimuny—were appointed into the NSC. Then allegations could not have been levelled against it even if it is going to make any blunder in its newly vested power domains.
- By Revatha S. Silva
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The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
EXTRAORDINARY
No.2193/55 - Friday, September 18, 2020
PART-I: SECTION (I) — GENERAL
Sports Law No. 25 of 1973Government Notifications
Regulations made by the Minister of Sports under the Section 41 and read with the Section 31 of the Sports Law
No.25 of 1973 - Namal Rajapaksa (M.P.), Minister of Youth and Sports at Colombo, on 16 day of September 2020.
Regulations:
The following section is inserted by repealing the procedure of appointing the Selection Committees of the National Associations of Sports by the Order issued on 25.02.2017 and by repealing the section 07(XIV) (b) of the Gazette Notification No.2166/9 dated 10.03.2020; which was amended by repealing the sections 7(XIV) (a), (b) and (c) of the Extraordinary Gazette No. 2006/13 dated 13.02.2017 amended by repealing the item no. 7(XIV) in the part III of the regulations published in the Gazette No.1990/23 issued on 27.10.2016.
(b) The relevant National Association/Federation of Sports should accordingly inform all the member institutes affiliated to their Association/Federation of Sports and obtain nominations and select ten (10) more suitable members through an Executive Committee meeting in order to appoint the Selection Committee of the National Associations/Federations of Sports, and the applications along with the nomination list should be sent to the National Selection Committee along with a copy to the Director General of the Department of Sports Development. The National Selection Committee shall submit its recommended list about the said nominations to the National Sports Council. The National Sports Council shall consider the said recommendations further and submit its agreement to the Minister in charge of the subject for approval.
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The Extraordinary Gazette notification issued by Minister Namal Rajapaksa on 18 September[/caption]
The Extraordinary gazette notification No.2193/55 issued on Friday (18) by Minister of Youth and Sports Namal Rajapaksa defining the latest procedure of appointing the Selection Committees of the National Associations of Sports has created more problems than solutions, ‘The Morning Sports’ learns.
This is owing mainly to the fact that the newly introduced procedure of sending those names for ‘the consideration’ of the newly-appointed National Sports Council (NSC), which is to ‘submit its agreement’ on those names to the Minister subsequently.
How can current active coaches and heads as well as leading figures of various sports clubs (Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara), owners of privately-run sports academies (Julian Bolling), and, to a lesser degree, those who are still actively involved in sports (Dilantha Malagamuwa) involve in such sensitive national-level selection procedures, some of the stakeholders who ‘The Morning Sports’ talked, questioned this week.
Selecting national teams and squads too
Before issuing the said gazetted notification on appointing Selection Committees of respective sports, Minister Rajapaksa had categorically mentioned that, from now on, he is going to depend on the NSC’s opinion and advice on finalising on the national sports teams and squads too.
This means the NSC will have an unprecedented hand in naming the country’s National Selection Panels as well as national squads and teams. This new setup is going to be extremely volatile with regard to the country’s leading sport, cricket.
SSC ‘buying’ other players
Mahela Jayawardene is the Coach of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, Mumbai Indians. There are many Sri Lankan players who are enlisted in the IPL auction every year and there are Sri Lankans who are playing in other franchises and even in his own franchise (Lasith Malinga). Where will he stand when a decision is to be taken by the NSC on, say, Lasith Malinga?
At the same time Jayawardene ‘importing’ players from other clubs to strengthen his Singhalese Sports Club (SSC), where he is heading its cricket committee, was a focal point in the media this month. Since July, when he was appointed in SSC’s high position, many other clubs, including Chilaw Marians and Saracens, directly accused SSC for luring their top players for ‘bigger offers’. What will this same Jayawardene do when those names for national squads come for his ‘consideration’ and ‘agreement’?
Can Minister overrule them?
Sangakkara is a live-wire of the Nondescripts Cricket Club (NCC). He is involved in international cricket and the IPL in various capacities. There are players who are still active at the national level, who have played along with both Jayawardene and Sangakkara. Will the two be expected to be independent when such names are in consideration in the NSC?
At the same time, will Minister Rajapaksa be able to overrule any ‘cricketing decision’ coming from the NSC, even if he is necessitated to do so, simply for the fact that the NSC is consisting of two of the biggest cricketing names today – Sanga and Mahela?
Many have already panicked
This new situation after the gazette would have already panicked many stakeholders in sports. It might relieve the new Minister from many unwanted ‘selection disputes’ but allowing NSC an unreasonable, bigger say in all top-level national selections could put him in a bigger problem than that in future.
There are other issues too. Who are the leading athletic experts in the present NSC who will have to consider the national athletic selections? Will the swimming fraternity in the country have any modest view on any NSC ratification on the sports when Bolling, still a live member and runner of a swimming-related business, sits on that Council?
Unrelated veterans ideal
The composition of Minister Rajapaksa’s new NSC is too much driven by his corporate ambitions. Most of them are actively involved in their private businesses (again ones like Jayawardene and Sangakkara) and therefore it will be difficult for the NSC, as a whole, to justify its decisions, relating to both its routine and specific areas.
It would have been different if others who are now retired and not involved directly in either sports or business –i.e. Bandula Warnapura or Sidath Wettimuny—were appointed into the NSC. Then allegations could not have been levelled against it even if it is going to make any blunder in its newly vested power domains.
- By Revatha S. Silva
=====================
The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
EXTRAORDINARY
No.2193/55 - Friday, September 18, 2020
PART-I: SECTION (I) — GENERAL
Sports Law No. 25 of 1973Government Notifications
Regulations made by the Minister of Sports under the Section 41 and read with the Section 31 of the Sports Law
No.25 of 1973 - Namal Rajapaksa (M.P.), Minister of Youth and Sports at Colombo, on 16 day of September 2020.
Regulations:
The following section is inserted by repealing the procedure of appointing the Selection Committees of the National Associations of Sports by the Order issued on 25.02.2017 and by repealing the section 07(XIV) (b) of the Gazette Notification No.2166/9 dated 10.03.2020; which was amended by repealing the sections 7(XIV) (a), (b) and (c) of the Extraordinary Gazette No. 2006/13 dated 13.02.2017 amended by repealing the item no. 7(XIV) in the part III of the regulations published in the Gazette No.1990/23 issued on 27.10.2016.
(b) The relevant National Association/Federation of Sports should accordingly inform all the member institutes affiliated to their Association/Federation of Sports and obtain nominations and select ten (10) more suitable members through an Executive Committee meeting in order to appoint the Selection Committee of the National Associations/Federations of Sports, and the applications along with the nomination list should be sent to the National Selection Committee along with a copy to the Director General of the Department of Sports Development. The National Selection Committee shall submit its recommended list about the said nominations to the National Sports Council. The National Sports Council shall consider the said recommendations further and submit its agreement to the Minister in charge of the subject for approval.
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