- Official request made to World Netball
The Manager of the Sri Lanka youth netball team Lakmini Samarasinghe said yesterday (23) that they were still harbouring hopes of heading to Gibraltar to play for rankings, which could be critical in their bid to qualify for the World Netball Championship 2027 in Australia.
She said however they would only be able to board a flight to the British Overseas Territory, if World Netball (WN) were to green light such an arrangement.
Speaking to The Daily Morning Sports, the manager stated that both the Sports Minister and officials from the Foreign Ministry had assured the team that the visa issue would be resolved forthwith, in consultation with the British High Commission in Colombo.
But, she was quick to stress that even if the visas are processed promptly, the team would only be able to travel to Gibraltar, if the game’s global governing body were to facilitate Sri Lanka to vie for rankings.
“We have been told by both the minister and those from the Foreign Ministry that the visas will be processed,” Samarasinghe explained.
“Even if that is resolved, the ministry must officially then request World Netball to allow us to play for rankings and depending on that response only, will we be able to go to Gibraltar. That is the current situation.”
She added that as the tournament is expected to last till this Sunday (28), the players were still optimistic of heading to Gibraltar to play for ranking points, and dismissed suggestions that they were crestfallen over the unfolding drama linked to the tour.
“Obviously the girls were downcast, when we failed to depart on time,” she observed. “But, now they have gotten over it and they are chomping at the bit to play for the rankings, if we are allowed to play. But then again it all depends on how World Netball reacts to an official request.”
WN on Sunday (21) officially struck Sri Lanka off as a contender from the ongoing Netball World Youth Cup (NWYC) 2025, on the advice of the Gibraltar Competition Committee after failing to arrive on time for the event.
The governing body on its website had announced that both Sri Lanka and Zambia had been removed from the tournament ‘due to unresolved matters’ surrounding their participation.
The failure of the team to land in Gibraltar forced Sri Lanka to forfeit its Group C preliminary round matches against England on 20 September, against Wales on 21 September and Jamaica on 22 September, with their final game against Tonga due to get underway on Saturday (27).
The organisers afterwards had awarded all of Sri Lanka’s opponents two points as per competition rules, with the competition now taking place with the involvement of 20 nations from 19-28 September.
WN had further stated on its website: “WN recognises the disappointment this outcome will bring to teams and fans and remains committed to supporting Sri Lanka and Zambia’s ongoing involvement in international netball.”
Sri Lanka had booked their place in the competition after being placed third at the 2023 Asian Youth Netball Championship in South Korea.
Sports Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage had temporarily suspended the registration of the Netball Federation of Sri Lanka (NFSL) last May, and brought it under the purview of the Sports Ministry.
This had been reportedly done to amend the NFSL constitution, in line with the new provisions of the Sports Law which was gazetted in July and to facilitate the election of office bearers.
Following the suspension slapped on the NFSL, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the Sports Development Department affiliated to it, were authorised to oversee governance issues.