Sri Lanka Cricket to contribute Rs 22.5 million to Commonwealth Games team

SLC President Shammi Silva and Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe during the Annual General Meeting of the cricket body  

By Susil Premalal
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has made a contribution of a sum of Rs 22.5 million for the Sri Lanka contingent participating in the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.  

This followed a discussion held between SLC President Shammi Silva and Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe.   The Sri Lanka women’s cricket team, in addition to athletes from 14 other sports disciplines, will be representing the country at the Commonwealth Games in England but the adverse economic situation in the country has put the Sports Ministry and the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOCSL) in a difficulty.  

This had led SLC to come forward to sponsor the squad, with costs also supplemented from the national sports fund and some national sports associations.  According to unofficial sources, the NOCSL has planned to send athletes for track and field, women’s cricket, table tennis, beach volleyball, weightlifting, rugby sevens, wrestling, swimming, badminton, boxing, gymnastics, judo and squash among other sports at the Commonwealth Games.  The Commonwealth Association will provide accommodation in four hotels for Sri Lanka at the Games.   Meanwhile, the NOCSL has estimated the cost of a return air ticket from Colombo to Birmingham as Rs 500,000.