Ministry accused of ‘hijacking’ Wushu Games with unqualified judges
A virtual hijack by a handful of individuals has left both the Wushu Federation of Sri Lanka (WFSL) and its Schools Section, one of 54 affiliates, reeling in disbelief while a crucial junior wushu tournament is underway this weekend in Colombo, the Sunday Times learns. According to WFSL officials, the confusion is due to an abrupt and autocratic decision by a Ministry of Education (MoE) official, backed by a representative of the Schools Wushu Association, to bypass the duly recommended panel of judges and impose a parachuted, oversized and largely unqualified panel to officiate at the ongoing Wushu Championship of the National Schools Games 2025.
Director of Physical Education and Sports at the Ministry of Education, Anura Abeywickrama
“The accepted norm, according to the WFSL Constitution on officials and judges, is that the local body should be consulted for recommendations and appointments of judges and officials for any event considered at national level,” WFSL spokesperson Manel Dharmakeerthi told reporters in Colombo.
The Wushu Games is part of the National Schools Games, an annual event conducted at provincial and all-island levels by the Ministry of Education. The MoE, as the main organiser, had sought assistance from the Schools Association and the WFSL up to the stage of preparing for the event, which began on Friday, but abruptly cut off ties with both entities at the eleventh hour without proper explanation.
“The WFSL received an official letter from the organisers, requesting us to nominate qualified judges for the three-day event. We responded promptly by naming 15 international licence holders with ample judging experience, not only locally but also at regional and global levels. But that was the end of it,” said Dharmakeerthi, Sri Lanka’s most experienced international judge with over two decades of expertise.
The organisers also kept the Schools Association officials in the dark, while taking sole control of the wushu competitions of the National Schools Games by appointing 26 judges of their own choosing, along with MoE officials as members of important committees such as Disciplinary, Appeal and Technical. According to WFSL officials, none of these appointed individuals hold a valid judging licence or possess sufficient knowledge of wushu to carry out their responsibilities.
“This is the biggest joke in the history of local sport, probably of the century. All 26 named judges are individuals who have either repeatedly failed the judges’ examinations for many years or are dropouts with incompetent records. This action, sadly spearheaded by none other than the Director of Physical Education and Sports at the Ministry of Education, Anura Abeywickrama, is backed by a top official of the Schools Association and, interestingly, some individuals who were on the losing side of the recently held WFSL elections,” Dharmakeerthi explained, highlighting the grave error by those responsible which, he warned, could ultimately harm young athletes.
WFSL Spokesperson Manel Dharmakeerthi explaining facts producing official documents to reporters - Pic Jayamal Chandrasiri
The ongoing wushu competitions feature only Taolu, the non-contact gymnastic version of the sport, while the organisers have dropped Sanda, the full-contact combat version, citing a lack of experienced judges as the reason. By the end of the first day on Friday, several complaints had been reported by athletes and coaches, only for the responsibility to be deflected back onto the aggrieved parties due to the absence of experienced officials in the committees meant to address such issues.
“These are unforgivable lapses on the part of the organisers. We, as the parent body of wushu, pledged to the schools section that our judges, officials and expertise would come at no cost, to ensure proper standards are met and maintained. These young athletes are our future, and the future of our country. Misusing them for other gains is unfair, particularly with a few international competitions on the horizon,” added Vijith Edirisinghe, President of WFSL.
The decisions taken by the National Schools Games organisers to eliminate one of the two versions of wushu, and to utilise unqualified individuals as judges along with inexperienced MoE officials as committee members, carry the risk of undermining the competence of young athletes. They may come to accept wrong decisions as accurate, which could prove disastrous at future local and international competitions.
The ongoing wushu competition has also lost its potential to serve as a trial event to identify athletes for the upcoming Asian Junior and World Junior Wushu Championships, as well as the Youth Olympics 2026 in Senegal, where wushu will make its debut. When Ruchira Bodhinagoda, Chief Executive Officer of WFSL, met the Director of Physical Education and Sports at the MoE, Anura Abeywickrama, last week to discuss official matters pertaining to the event, he was subjected to verbal abuse.
“He shouted at me as if I had forcibly entered his property, even though I had an appointment to meet him. His ego is not helpful for any sport, especially those involving children. This government official has even gone to the extent of verbally abusing Mr Saman Manjula, the President of the Schools Wushu Association, who is also a respected Principal of a national school,” revealed Bodhinagoda.
These lapses were highlighted by WFSL officials Vijith Edirisinghe (President), Kithsiri Subasinghe (Secretary), Ruchira Bodhinagoda (CEO), Ananda Kumara (Vice President), Chanaka Sajith (International Judge) and Manel Dharmakeerthi (Spokesperson) at a press conference held at the SSC in Colombo.