The Boxing Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) is facing renewed scrutiny and internal unrest following a stormy Special General Meeting (SGM) held on Tuesday at the Navy Lighthouse Galley where delegates debated unresolved financial matters, questioned the legality of recent appointments and ultimately decided to withdraw from the International Boxing Association (IBA) and join World Boxing (WB).
The move could reshape the future of the sport in Sri Lanka according to boxing promoters.
The meeting was effectively a continuation of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on August 9, which had to be adjourned after the audited annual accounts were not presented. Despite being granted two additional months, the BASL still failed to produce the required financial statements, a lapse that has angered several senior members and stakeholders of the sport.
Former BASL Vice President Wasantha Withanage, a veteran boxing coach who represented Sri Lanka at the Olympics and served on the executive committee for two decades, was among the most outspoken critics at the meeting.
“Having an AGM without audited accounts is a serious administrative blunder,” Withanage charged. “The president, secretary and treasurer must be held responsible under the Sports Law for this gross mismanagement.”
Withanage accused the current BASL administration of poor governance, lack of transparency, and questionable decision-making. He alleged that an international boxing course was organised with no accounts being tabled, no reimbursement of funds collected from participants for visas for a foreign tour that never took place, and that an international tournament held in Colombo with much fanfare has no record of how the funds were received or spent.
Adding to the controversy, Withanage revealed that an international standard boxing ring donated by IBA is still lying idle at the port, incurring over Rs. 2 million in demurrage fees.
“This is symbolic of how things are being mishandled,” he said. “The ring is rotting in the port while the sport itself is sinking due to negligence and mismanagement.”
Withanage further alleged that some affiliated clubs were wrongfully barred from attending the SGM, undermining the democratic nature of the meeting.
He also questioned the legality of the newly appointed Secretary, saying no nominations were called prior to the appointment.
“The constitution is being ignored. Decisions are being made by a few individuals without due process,” he added.
Despite the turbulence, the SGM made one decisive move — to formally sever ties with IBA and join World Boxing, aligning itself with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) and the policy of the Ministry of Sports to distance national federations from the suspended IBA.
Dian Gomes, a former BASL president and IBA Director said: “The main decision we took yesterday was that Sri Lanka Boxing will leave the IBA and join World Boxing,” Dian said. “Under the new Constitution, we will compete only in the amateur domain — no professional or WSB involvement.”
However, Gomes cautioned that the move came with its own risks.
“We will not receive any funding from IBA anymore. Dual membership is not permitted, so this is a complete break,” he noted. “It’s an honourable exit, but one that comes with challenges.”
BASL President Anuruddha Shanaka Bandara, who also serves as Honorary Consul General for Guinea, has been criticised for his absentee leadership. Coaches and officials allege that he governs “by remote control” from overseas, relying heavily on a small circle of trusted associates.
A senior official who attended the SGM remarked, “Boxing is collapsing because there’s no accountability. Decisions are made without consultation, and the president is hardly in the country. The sport is being run like a private company, not a national body.”
Many within the boxing community are now calling on Sports Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage to step in, either by appointing an interim committee or a working task force to restore administrative order and ensure financial accountability.
“It’s time for the Minister to act,” he said. “We can’t let boxing — one of Sri Lanka’s most decorated Olympic sports — be destroyed by internal politics.”
For now, Bandara and his executive committee have been given another two-month extension to present the long-delayed audited accounts and formally conclude the AGM, as required under the Sports Law.
The BASL constitution has also been amended to align with World Boxing, which is recognised by the International Olympic Committee as the legitimate body for Olympic boxing.
But until the federation resolves its internal disputes and financial ambiguities, Sri Lanka’s boxers remain in limbo — uncertain of which direction the sport will take and whether the long tradition of boxing excellence can be revived under stable leadership.
(Source - dailymirror.lk)
Leave your comments
Login to post a comment
Post comment as a guest