Comedy of errors as Sports Minister replaces CA with Task Force to ensure SLR meet standards
The Sports Minister on Friday removed two of his earlier appointees, including the Chairman of the five-member Working Task Force (WTF) for Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR), as these two appointments itselft violates the Sports Law. According to the Sports Law “a member appointed to the National Sports Council (NSC), shall cease to hold office in any National Association of Sports or other sports body or organisation in Sri Lanka during the continuance of membership”.
Their removal comes just a day after the Minister gazetted Priyantha Ekanayake, the current Chairman of the NSC as Chairman, and Rohan Abayakoon as a member of the five-member committee that also included Retired Senior DIG M.R. Latiff, Suresh Subramaniam, President of the National Olympic Committee, and Dinal Phillips, President’s Counsel, as members.
But will Sri Lanka Rugby fall back on track?
However, on Friday the Minister replaced both Ekanayake and Abayakoon, with M.H. Marso, a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, and Ravindranath Wijenathan, a former Sri Lanka youth rugby player. In Ekanayake’s absence, SDIG Latiff will head the five-member committee.
The Sports Minister also temporarily suspended the registration of SLR and decided to appoint a five-member WTF to oversee constitutional reforms and manage the organisation’s affairs.
The decision, announced through an Extraordinary Gazette Notification on 22 May 2025, represents a dramatic intervention in the governance of the country’s rugby union, following recommendations from World Rugby (WR), which demanded constitutional amendments and the conduct of elections of office bearers.
The Minister has revoked the appointment of Professor (Rear Admiral) Shemal Fernando, who had been serving as Director General of the Department of Sports Development and Competent Authority for SLR under a previous gazette notification from 29 May 2024.
This change in leadership comes as part of broader efforts to address governance issues within SLR, with the suspension taking effect immediately under sections 32 and 33 of the Sports Law No. 25 of 1973 and its amendments.
This diverse composition reflects the government’s intention to bring together expertise from sports administration, legal affairs, and governance to address the challenges facing SLR. The Working Task Force has been established with a specific mandate to amend SLR’s constitution in accordance with recommendations made by WR. These recommendations had been agreed upon by all stakeholders and were previously published in a notice issued by the Director General of Sports on 24 June 2024.
This constitutional reform process represents a critical step in addressing governance concerns that have been raised at both national and international levels, potentially affecting Sri Lanka’s standing within the global rugby community.
The government has established a clear timeline for the transition back to elected leadership. Elections for new office bearers must be held within 90 days after the registration of the new constitution, in accordance with the Sports Law No. 25 of 1973 and its amendments. Until these elections take place under the new constitution, the Working Task Force has been authorised to manage all affairs of SLR, ensuring continuity of operations during this transitional period.
Whilst implementing these significant changes, the Minister has ensured that other provisions from the previous Extraordinary Gazette Notification (No. 2386/08) from 29 May 2024 remain in force, providing stability in areas not directly affected by the current reorganisation.
The decision comes a few days after Asia Rugby gave an ultimatum to make the constitutional amendments and go for elections.