Former national rugby football player Chula Dharmadasa was appointed as Chairman of a Standing Committee to stabilize the administrative structure of Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) after Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe dissolved SLR.

Ranasinghe on Monday withdrew a gazette that was issued by former Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa that suspended SLR and has replaced the elected committee headed by Rizly Illyas with this nine-member committee to oversee amendments to the SLR constitution. 

The committee has been given a six-month term. 

President’s Counsel Shanaka Ranasinghe will serve as Secretary of the Committee, while President of Havelock SC Thusitha Peiris will serve as Treasurer. 

Also in the committee are Damitha Vitharanage, Kishan Musafer, Savantha de Saram, Group Captain Subash Jayatilleke, Pradeep Basnayake and Brigadier (rtd) Sunil Ranasinghe. 

“The sport has fallen to a new low in the last two years and this committee will also be expected to discuss with various stakeholders and uplift the sport again,” Ranasinghe said. 

“The sport has also lost a significant amount of corporate backing in the last two years, to the effect of Rs. 180 million. We want to bring those sponsors back,” the Minister added. 

“Each member of this committee is also expected to work with one provincial to facilitate the changes required at SLR.”

The minister also said that he intended to speak to the President of Asia Rugby (AR) Qais Al-Dhalai, adding that he had received a letter from Al-Dhalai that suggested they were open to working with him. 

“Not being able to compete under the Sri Lanka flag was a big disadvantage for us, so we hope that after these discussions we will be able to compete under the national flag again,” Ranasinghe said. 

“We have missed many international competitions in men’s and women’s rugby and that has led to a decline in the sport,” he added. 

“The men’s team were fourth in Asia in 2014, but now we are seventh. We have dropped seven places in the World Rankings as well, currently at 46.” 

The committee has given the primary task of amending the voting structure at SLR, where currently only Provincial Unions are eligible to vote. 

“In several provinces, their clubs do not even have players, but the provinces still retain their voting rights,” the Minister said. 

The Daily Mirror learns that the amended structure is expected to give voting rights to “A” Division clubs, while retaining the rights of Provincial Unions if they meet a new criteria. 

They will be required to play in either an “A” or “B” Division tournament, organized by SLR, if they wish to maintain their voting rights.

(Susil Premalal)