• Exodus of ExCo members continues; Vice President Silva latest to quit
• SLA President Wijayasinghe says ‘no intention of throwing mud’ at those who have left office 

Sri Lanka Athletics (SLA), headed by Bimal Wijayasinghe, has been dealt another crippling blow with the resignation of one of the controlling body’s Vice Presidents (VPs) recently, as sports analysts claim the sport heads to an uncertain future.

S. Jagath Gnanasiri Silva has become the latest official to step down from SLA, citing differences of opinion with its incumbent head. This has resulted in the governing body, elected in the first quarter of this year, stumbling from one administrative crisis to another in the wake of a series of Executive Committee resignations in the recent past.

When contacted by The Sunday Morning Sports, Silva alleged that the conduct of the incumbent SLA President had largely hastened his exit from the institution.

“The current President of SLA has no idea whatsoever on how to improve the lot of the athletes and their image,” Silva alleged.

He added: “As one of two VPs who were elected at the last Annual General Meeting (AGM), I remained in office with the hope of serving the sport and athletes. But it became evident to me that Sri Lanka Athletics is continuing to stall under the current President and therefore I opted to quit.”

Silva alleged that the incumbent President of SLA had shown no inclination to fill the key vacant post of secretary general following the abrupt resignation of Madhawa Bandara Senarath within weeks of the election of new office-bearers in March.

He further alleged that the current head of the institution had shown an “unwelcome reluctance” to fill the critical post permanently, thus his insistence on continuing with an acting secretary for the past six-month period.

“I told him (the SLA President) to fill the secretary post following Madhawa’s resignation,” the former VP said. “How can a sporting institution survive without a regular secretary?”

He further charged that the attitude of the Acting Secretary General had been one of the reasons that had forced him to step down from his post, while also alleging failure on the part of the SLA President to delineate work since assuming office.

Silva’s exit adds to a series of other high-profile resignations that have arguably dismantled key operational arms of the ruling body. In recent months, the departures of officials such as Sunil Jayaweera, Jayantha Siyamudali, and Y.K. Kularatne, to name a few, have added to the turmoil within SLA.

The situation has already prompted Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Sunil Kumara Gamage to call for management reviews and evaluations regarding whether the body could risk an interim administration. However, the Minister is still to act on it, according to sports analysts.

When contacted by The Sunday Morning Sports, SLA President Wijayasinghe stated that he had already received approval from the Director General of the Sports Ministry to allow incumbent Acting Secretary General of SLA Aloy Wickramasinghe to function in his post until the next election, which is scheduled for March 2027.

“By that time, we hope to appoint a new permanent secretary with the consent of the SLA Executive Committee,” he said.

Responding to allegations directed at him and his Executive Committee by Silva, the SLA President said that he had no intention of throwing mud at those who had already left office.

He further maintained that having come forward to serve the sport in the first place, he would continue to do so during his term in office irrespective of any mass exodus of Executive Committee members.