The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports is hoping to form a 60-member national youth netball pool ahead of two key netball championships to be held next year, Ministry sources revealed.

The Asian Youth Netball Championships jointly organised by Netball Asia and the South Korea Netball Association is scheduled to be held from 14-21 June in South Korea.

Apart from that, the World Youth Netball Championships organised by World Netball is due to be staged from 19-28 September in Gibraltar.

Sixteen nations are slated to contest the Asian Youth Netball Championships in Korea with Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore having booked their respective berths from Asia, to compete in the event.

The Sports Ministry has been forced to form the 60-member youth netball pool, due to the sport’s parent body, the Netball Federation of Sri Lanka (NFSL), being dissolved since 29 May by ex-Sports Minister Harin Fernando.

It was dissolved over its failure to hold its election of office bearers or the Annual General Meeting (AGM), before the annual deadline 31 May. 

Since its dissolution, the NFSL has been brought under the supervision of the Sports Ministry Director General (DG) retired Rear Admiral Dr. Shemal Fernando, who functions as its Competent Authority (CA).

The DG of the Sports Ministry has so far not been able to facilitate an AGM to the suspended NFSL due to a few aggrieved provincial netball federations having instituted legal action against the former, over the rejection of certain nominations by the Election Committee formed to oversee the AGM. 

(JK)