A rapid-fire appointment, an abrupt resignation, a wiped hard drive, and a lingering Olympic money scandal that refuses to fade. Was this an innocent exit, or a carefully timed clean-up at Sri Lanka’s Olympic headquarters?
A Mysterious Appointment and an Even Faster Exit
Questions are swirling around the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka after Pavithra Fernando, son of Hemasiri Fernando, quietly resigned from the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka Executive Committee just months after being appointed.
Pavithra Fernando had been brought in to fill vacancies created by the removal, resignation, or suspension of several Executive Committee members following allegations of fraudulent conduct. His abrupt departure has now triggered an explosive question: why did he enter the NOCSL at all and why leave just as suddenly?
Old Olympic Money, New Questions
At the heart of the controversy lies a long-running financial scandal dating back to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. Hemasiri Fernando and former NOCSL Secretary General Maxwell de Silva were embroiled in a financial irregularity involving US $10,000, which they were later compelled to return in 2016.
The SIU concluded its investigation in March 2024 and, acting on the Attorney General’s instructions, handed the matter over to the Financial Crimes Investigation Unit (FCIU) of the CID to proceed with legal action. However, the FCIU opted to re-record statements from both the complainant and the suspects before reporting facts to the Chief Magistrate on 27 March 2025 by filing a B Report. Despite the Auditor General’s evidence being firmly in place, the suspects were not produced in court to date. Notably, none of the suspects denied the duplication of claims for the same air travel and accommodation expenses, and it was further established that Hemasiri Fernando and Maxwell De Silva retained the duplicated funds for over a year before returning them to the NOCSL, thereby reconfirming the duplicate withdrawal. Although the investigation was completed by the FCID and CID and forwarded to the Attorney General for advice on prosecution, the case has since inexplicably stalled despite evidence been in place.
CID Moves, Then the Son Resigns
The plot thickened recently when the FCID and CID once again summoned Hemasiri Fernando, Maxwell de Silva, and former Treasurer Gamini Jayasinghe, who had also resigned amid allegations of multiple fraudulent acts, for further questioning.
It was soon after these fresh interrogations that Pavithra Fernando tendered his resignation from the NOCSL Executive Committee.
Coincidence or choreography?
The Vanishing Hard Drive
Perhaps the most alarming development concerns the ongoing Financial Forensic Audit at the NOCSL. During the very period Pavithra Fernando sat on the Executive Committee, investigators reportedly discovered that the hardware of Maxwell de Silva’s official computer had been tampered with, its hard drive wiped and all data destroyed.
The timing has fueled speculation that Pavithra’s presence inside the Executive Committee may not have been incidental, but strategic.
Was He Planted to Clean House?
Insiders are now openly asking whether Pavithra Fernando’s appointment was a calculated move by his father and Maxwell de Silva, placing him inside the NOCSL at a critical moment to access, influence, or erase sensitive material linked to the Olympic money trail.
Calls are growing for Pavithra Fernando’s entry, role, and resignation from the Executive Committee to be formally investigated.
A Father-Son Saga That Never Ends
For Sri Lankan sports followers, the Fernando name carries baggage, especially in rugby.
In 2009, it was Hemasiri Fernando, then a member of the National Sports Selection Committee, who became central to one of Sri Lankan rugby’s most explosive controversies. He was accused of influencing the appointment of his son, Pavithra Fernando, as captain of the national rugby team, overriding the national selectors’ choice of a CH & FC player. The fallout was immediate and dramatic: a New Zealand–born head coach resigned in protest, players from CH & FC and Kandy SC refused to tour the UAE, and a Fundamental Rights petition was filed naming Sri Lanka Rugby and individuals including Hemasiri and Pavithra Fernando.
Rugby Presidency Riddled with Dispute
Fast-forward to the present, and Pavithra Fernando’s election as President of Sri Lanka Rugby has itself been engulfed in controversy. Multiple bodies, including the Ministry of Sports, Asia Rugby, the NOCSL, and others raised alarms that Sri Lanka Rugby risked suspension by World Rugby.
Despite concerns that the AGM and election violated both sports law and the Sri Lanka Rugby constitution, Pavithra Fernando was elected even though he allegedly did not meet eligibility criteria, a point reportedly confirmed by the NOCSL’s representative to the election oversight committee, Rifdhy Fahmi.
Paper Clubs and a Paper Entry?
In a final twist of irony, Pavithra Fernando had campaigned loudly against “paper clubs” controlling Sri Lanka Rugby. Yet his own entry into the NOCSL Executive Committee was not through Sri Lanka Rugby, but via a scarcely known body, the Mountain and Climbing Association, established in 2018 and virtually unknown to the Sri Lankan sporting public.
For critics, this only deepens suspicion that his NOCSL appointment was less about sport and more about access.
Too Many Coincidences, Too Much Silence
A son’s sudden rise. An old Olympic scandal revived. A wiped hard drive. A rapid resignation.
Individually, each might be explained. Together, they paint a picture that demands answers.
For Sri Lankan sport and for the credibility of its Olympic movement, the question now is unavoidable: was this a resignation, or a retreat after the job was done?
Integrity Crisis at NOC: Calls Grow for Suresh Subramaniam’s Resignation
The latest developments place National Olympic Committee President Suresh Subramaniam in an untenable position. With due process now properly followed, it is clear that actions taken under his leadership have breached the ethical framework of the Olympic Charter—violations he has himself acknowledged were motivated by the need to preserve his presidency.
The Olympic movement is founded on integrity, neutrality, and ethical leadership. Any departure from these principles erodes institutional credibility and public trust. In such circumstances, accountability must prevail, and resignation becomes the only honourable course.