Red notice issued to SLBA
The Sri Lanka Badminton Association (SLBA) will see its membership being suspended from July, if the long overdue amendments to the controversial Sports Regulations of January 15, 2013 are not finalised before June 30, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) has said.
The red notice comes after repeated appeals by the international body to freeze politics out of the game’s governance have been snubbed by the Ministry of Sports.
“If the Sri Lanka Ministry of Sport does not present an acceptable draft of the new Sports Law by 30 June 2015, then WBF will initiate procedures to immediately suspend the SLBA until such time that an acceptable governance structure has been setup around the SLBA,” Thomas Lund, Secretary General wrote in his June 4th letter to Amal Dias, Secretary SLBA.
“This move is to protect the SLBA and the sports movement against any unacceptable Government interference,” the letter stated. The controversial sports regulations introduced in 2013, directly interferes with the independence and autonomy of sports bodies, as it laid down several restrictions on electoral processes of the national sports bodies, causing outrage locally and internationally. Even though a committee was set up to amend the controversial regulations in keeping with the international regulations on the request of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) backed in 2014, no finality has been reached.”
“BWF very much hope that the promised revisions to the Sri Lanka Sports Law will be presented as promised latest by 30 June 2015 and that this means that a process can be initiated to get the governance structures around badminton in
The Sri Lanka Badminton Federation (SLBA) will see its membership being suspended from July, if the long overdue amendments to the controversial Sports Regulations of January 15, 2013 being finalised before June 30, the World Badminton Federation (BWF) had said.
Sri Lanka brought up to date. If this does not happen, then BWF however see no other option than to suspend the SLBA until an acceptable governance structure is established,” the letter further added. The BWF Secretary General also insists that the SLBA should have revised its own constitution in line with the WBF constitution and also hold its election of office bearers without any government interferences.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror, K. D. S. Ruwanchandra, Director General of Sports said that they are in the process of finalizing the amendments. “So this process will take few more weeks,” Ruwanchandra said, ruling out any possibility of completing the process before the June 30 deadline.
The elections of badminton office bearers are to be held on July 27 with nominations being closed on June 26, 2015.
Several international sports bodies, including the International Olympic Council (IOC), FIFA, the world body for football, FINA, the world body for swimming, World Rugby, the international body governing the oval ball game and IAAF, the international body for track and field sports, have warned in no uncertain terms that any pressure exerted on their local counter-parts by the Ministry of Sports would result in suspension. The IAAF in a letter early this month refused to accept the new administration citing political interferences.