Boxing in Crisis! The Sri Lanka Boxing Association has hit rock bottom, rotting equipment at the port, millions unaccounted for, children charged half a million rupees each to fight abroad, and no audited accounts in sight. While President Anuruddha Bandara runs the SLBA like his private business, the Sports Minister watches silently. Wake up, Minister, it’s time to put on your gloves.
The Sri Lanka Boxing Association (SLBA), once the proud custodian of amateur boxing, has collapsed into a cesspit of irregularities, malpractices, and maladministration. Under the arrogant and incompetent leadership of its President, Anuruddha Bandara, the association has been run more like a private business empire than a national sports body. Even more alarming is that the Minister of Sports has allowed this circus to continue, despite the media exposing scandal after scandal.
A Catalogue of Corruption
The list of failures and fraud is staggering. Despite countless reports in print, electronic, and social media, the Department of Sports Development, the body meant to supervise federations has turned a blind eye. Meanwhile, a donated boxing ring worth Rs. 5 million still lies rotting in a port warehouse, incurring more than Rs. 2 million in demurrage, because the SLBA failed to clear it.
At the administrative level, Bandara has called Special General Meetings (SGMs) only for favored clubs, while illegally striking off others from the invitee list, denying them voting rights. Shockingly, the SGM was held without audited financial accounts for the past year, accounts that were due in March 2025 and have never been tabled. It is strongly suspected that these accounts were never even sent to the Auditor General as required by law.
Financial Mismanagement at Its Peak
The SLBA has been without a Treasurer or Assistant Treasurer for eight months, with Bandara himself handling all financial matters, despite lacking the qualifications to do so. Two Secretaries have already resigned in the last 10 months, citing gross transparency and governance issues, while the newly appointed Secretary, M.A.L. Perera, was installed illegally and unlawfully in violation of sports regulations.
Millions of rupees collected through sponsorships, advertisements, and entry fees at the International Under-22 Boxing Meet in Colombo remain unaccounted for. Meanwhile, the SLBA President and his committee are accused of sending a team of schoolchildren to the Asian Under-22 Championship in Bangkok, charging parents over Rs. 500,000 per student, without approvals and in violation of Education Ministry circulars.
To make matters worse, boxers were sent to international meets without the mandatory approvals of the National Sports Selection Committee or the Ministry of Sports. These repeated violations have pushed Sri Lanka dangerously close to being banned from the International Boxing Association (IBA).
A President Who Must Be Held Accountable
The entire mess rests squarely on Anuruddha Bandara’s shoulders. Every irregularity, every malpractice, every breach of law points directly to his leadership. Even the Armed Forces’ boxing representatives, who traditionally backed the association, are now voicing concerns, fearful of being linked to the rot.
By law, non-submission of audited financial reports alone is grounds for a lifetime ban on the President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Yet, Bandara sits unchallenged, continuing to rule the SLBA as though it were his personal property.
Wake Up, Minister – Time to Put on the Gloves
This catastrophe cannot be allowed to continue. The Minister of Sports has allowed the SLBA President to run the association unchecked, despite every red flag being waved. If he continues to look the other way, boxing will not only lose credibility but will collapse completely under the weight of corruption.
It is time, Minister. Put on your gloves, step into the ring, and reshape the SLBA into its proper form. The evidence is overwhelming. The mismanagement is undeniable. The call for an Interim Committee is louder than ever and rightly so.
Sri Lanka’s boxers, coaches, and fans deserve better. The sport deserves to be cleaned up, restored, and returned to those who fight for it in the ring not those who profit from it outside of it.
