Sri Lanka’s first blow wasn’t just in the ring, it was to its integrity. Schoolgirl boxer Herath Mudiyanselage Nethmi Ashinsh fell to Thailand’s Chiranan Dapphonhan in the Women’s Light Flyweight 48kg event, marking a grim start to what is shaping up to be a scandal-ridden tour. Behind the ropes, the real controversy looms: the Boxing Association of Sri Lanka brazenly sent a contingent of 18 boxers, 13 of them schoolchildren without ever securing mandatory approval from the Ministry of Sports. A bout was lost, but the bigger loss may be the blatant disregard for the rule of law.
Colombo, 1st August 2025 – In what is now snowballing into a national disgrace, the Boxing Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has once again brazenly defied the laws of the land, flouted Ministry of Sports protocols and disrespected Education Ministry orders by sending a contingent of schoolboy and schoolgirl boxers overseas without official approval.
But this time, the stakes are dangerously high.
The athletes made up of teenagers, have been dispatched to Thailand to compete in a full-contact international tournament, in clear violation of both Sports and Education Ministry regulations. And what’s worse? They’ve done so with no insurance, no formal clearance, and no guarantee of safety, all while parading as the “national team.”
A Blatant Betrayal of Authority
Let’s be clear: this is not an administrative error, it’s an act of defiance. The BASL, under the controversial leadership of Anuruddha Bandara, has now twice ignored Ministry of Sports approval protocols. First it was Seychelles. Now, it’s Thailand.
On July 29, 2025, the Ministry of Education under the leadership of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya issued an unmistakably clear directive: no school athlete was to leave the country without prior approval from the Ministry of Sports and absolutely no financial burden was to be placed on students or their families. Yet, in a move that reeked of arrogance and impunity, the SLBA President Anuruddha Bandara chose to bulldoze through both the law and common decency. Without securing a single official clearance, he shipped off 18 school-aged boxers and 5 officials to Thailand, trampling ministry orders and governance protocols alike.
This wasn’t just oversight, it was outright defiance, a deliberate and systematic slap in the face to state authority.
Turning Schoolchildren boxers into Beggars
As The Morning Telegraph previously exposed, letters were issued to student boxers, asking them to cough up Rs. 545,000 for airfare, food, hotel, and track kits. Beg or borrow if you want to represent the country was the message the BASL gave the selected schoolchidlren boxers. In desperation, the schoolchildren boxers even took to social media, publicly posting appeals for funds.
Can we pause and ask: What kind of sports governance turns underprivileged schoolchildren into online beggars just to represent their country?
And as if the embarrassment couldn’t get any worse, the Sri Lanka Boxing Association (SLBA) has already spiraled into internal chaos. Not long ago, its Secretary former DIG of the Special Task Force, Saman Gunaratne resigned in protest, blasting the association for its complete lack of honesty, transparency, and integrity. His departure sent shockwaves through the sporting community, but instead of addressing the rot, SLBA continued its descent. The Treasurer followed suit, resigning without a replacement, leaving the association functioning without even an Assistant Treasurer.
Let’s not mince words, this paints a deeply disturbing picture of who is running this so-called governing body and how arrogantly and recklessly it is being operated. There’s still no public accounting for the large sums earned from their recent boxing event held under the banner of an IOC-banned organization. Where did that money go?
Even more baffling is the silence of the National Sports Council, chaired by Priyantha Ekanayake, whose members are mandated to advise the Minister of Sports. What exactly are they doing while the SLBA burns through public trust and sporting ethics like a house on fire?
Shadow Travel: Two Officials Slip Out Before Clearance
Insiders now confirm that two BASL officials flew out earlier without any Ministry of Sports travel clearance to secure a spot in the tournament draw. Ministry sources revealed that a senior bureaucrat allegedly assured them “verbal approval” while promising to “fix it later” with the Minister.
Let that sink in: Government officials are now allegedly facilitating rogue travel behind their own ministry’s back.
Contact Sport, No Oversight, Minors at Risk
Boxing isn’t chess. It’s a high-risk, full-contact sport. Sending minors abroad without insurance, oversight, or legal approval could result in serious injury, trauma, or worse and in such a scenario, the liability falls squarely on the BASL and complicit authorities.
As per Sri Lanka’s Sports Law, national representation cannot take place without ministry sanction. This law was upheld even in 2017 when then-Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara ordered nine national cricketers off a plane for breaching the same rule. So the real question now is:
Does Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage have the backbone to act? Or has he been knocked out by Bandara’s influence?
When Governance Turns into Theatre
This is no longer just about boxing. This is a governance crisis. It exposes a toxic mix of arrogance, favoritism, and utter disregard for the rule of law, one that places minors in harm’s way, erodes the credibility of two ministries, and mocks the Prime Minister’s directives.
If Bandara is allowed to walk away from this, it will set a catastrophic precedent for every other sports body in Sri Lanka. Tomorrow, it could be football. Or swimming. Or athletics. And the next batch of kids might not come home safely.
A Banned Alliance and a Brewing Crisis
The boxing tournament currently underway in Thailand is organized by Asian Boxing, a regional body operating under World Boxing, the globally recognized entity now replacing the disgraced and IOC-banned International Boxing Association (IBA). Yet shockingly, Sri Lanka has still not secured membership in World Boxing, continuing to show thinly veiled loyalty to the IBA, which the Olympic Committee has already cast into exile. This lingering allegiance has already raised serious red flags.
It is reliably understood that Sports Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage withheld formal approval for Sri Lanka’s participation in the event precisely because the Boxing Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has not fulfilled its obligations to World Boxing. Worse still, whispers from within international circles suggest that World Boxing may altogether deny BASL’s membership due to the Association’s unprofessional conduct, backdoor dealings, and lack of transparency.
And while BASL President Dr. Anuruddha Bandara continues to operate with unchecked authority, one question looms large: under whose protection or political blessing is he empowered to disregard both international norms and national laws with such impunity? His brazen antics are doing more than tarnishing Sri Lanka’s name, they’re jeopardizing the dreams of young boxers and exposing the embarrassing naivety of the newly elected National People’s Power (NPP) government, which now appears hopelessly out of its depth, not just in sports governance, but in national leadership itself.
Final Round: Accountability or Collapse?
The BASL’s rogue conduct, the Ministry’s alarming silence, and the Prime Minister’s authority being casually dismissed demand urgent and uncompromising intervention.
If this circus continues unchecked, it won’t just be schoolchildren in boxing rings. It will be Sri Lanka’s entire sports system on the ropes.
