- Notes deep rooted malaise in federations
- SLRPA seeks robust administrative framework
Sports Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage has squarely placed the blame on officials of Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) over its failure to finalise visa applications and requisite travel cum ticket arrangements for the national fifteens rugby team last week.
The unprecedented faux pas prevented the ‘Tuskers’, from fulfilling their Asian Rugby Emirates Men’s Championship clash against hosts South Korea in Incheon on 13 June, and to make matters worse the Koreans were handed a 20-0 walkover by Asia Rugby (AR).
The Minister who spoke on the sidelines of an event held on Monday (15), stated that the sport’s domestic governing body has to be held accountable for the humiliating visa fiasco, and noted that disciplinary action will be instituted against the offending association.
He also defended his Ministry insisting that it should not be dragged unnecessarily into the incident.
“This is an incident that could have been best avoided by Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR),” he told reporters.
“They (SLR) had only applied for the visas on Monday (8), when the national team was due to fly out on Wednesday (10). Is this realistic?” he asked.
“This is their (SLR) negligence. This is not a Government issue and it is a federation's issue. So the buck stops with them. If funding is provided, we cover expenses,” he further observed.
Gamage said those at the helm of SLR should explain to the rugby community and the country at large, as to what prompted the delay in applying for visas and ticketing issues.
The Minister acknowledged this type of incident had also recently affected a junior volleyball team and described it as a ‘deep-rooted malaise’ afflicting certain sports federations.
He however noted that the onus was on sports federations concerned to not wait till the eleventh hour for processing of visa applications and necessary travel documents of national teams, which are due to compete in overseas events.
Pressed for any follow up action on SLR over its ignominious conduct and the fallout from the Korea fixture, Minister Gamage stressed that his Ministry would initiate disciplinary action shortly.
He added that his Ministry cannot be held responsible for such ignominious farces enacted by federations, and stressed that he was taking a serious view of innocent athletes being forced to pay for sins of administrators more often than not.
“This is the bane of local sports. The sportsmen and women have to suffer for the short-sightedness of these federation officials. This has to end somewhere down the line. It’s happening too often for my liking.”
Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Rugby Players Association (SLRPA) in an online letter Tuesday (16), called on all stakeholders, sponsors, and members of the rugby community who wish to offer support, expertise or resources, to help build a robust administrative framework for athletes.
Its head Ashean Karthelis said that late squad changes due to player availability, combined with rigid overseas travel and procedural timelines, had created an administrative bottleneck.
The letter noted that although SLR is currently conducting an internal review to identify the gaps that led to this situation, the SLRPA believes its collective focus must now shift towards long-term remedies.
It added that as Sri Lanka expands its footprint in both regional and international competitions, the SLRPA recommends the implementation of a structured, continuously updated National Player Management Framework.
Karthelis, a former national player emphasised that it would require the collective expertise, passion, and support of the entire Lankan rugby fraternity, and that all must work together to strengthen the governance, logistics and systems that support the players.