Controversial NOCSL Official with Multiple Allegations of Fraud Encounters Final Defeat
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) have delivered a decisive blow to Maxwell De Silva, the long-serving Secretary General of the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOCSL), effectively ending his controversial 16-year tenure.
In a letter dated January 15, 2025, addressed to NOCSL President Suresh Subramaniam, James Macleod, NOC Relations, Olympic Solidarity, and Olympism365 Director of the IOC, alongside Husain Al-Musallam, Director General of the OCA, confirmed the suspension and formal ostracization of Maxwell De Silva. The letter underscored that moving forward, all official communications concerning the NOCSL would be conducted exclusively through the NOCSL President Suresh Subramaniam.
The letter stated “In response to the numerous communications which we have received from various parties over the past few weeks and in view of the latest developments, including the decision of the OCA Executive Board on 14 January 2025, we wish to remind you of our letter to your NOC dated 10 December 2024 (attached for reference), which remains fully applicable, and reiterate that the duty and priority of your NOC is to take appropriate action to address and resolve its ongoing internal issues without any further delay.”
“Please note that we do not see any logical reason why the upcoming quadrennial elections of your NOC should be held earlier than expected, as was apparently suggested by a number of members, before resolving the ongoing internal governance and ethical issues in an appropriate manner. Such an approach would only add unnecessary confusion and complications to the existing situation. Consequently, our very clear position is that your upcoming NOC elections should take place later this year at the end of the regular term, as planned initially (date to be decided in due course in close consultation and coordination with the IOC and OCA), and that, by then, the ongoing issues must be addressed and resolved by your NOC. In the meantime, it is expected that any NOC member/official who is currently under investigation and/or sanction will simply stay away from the NOC, as per the basic principles of good governance and ethical standards within the Olympic Movement.”
“Under the current circumstances and as per usual protocol, please note that the NOC President will remain the main interlocutor of the IOC/OCA and we will only consider communications addressed and signed by the NOC President (who is the legal representative of the NOC, as per your NOC Constitution), on behalf of the NOC.”
“Once again, we urge your NOC to act quickly and responsibly to remedy this situation in the interest of the athletes and the Olympic Movement in Sri Lanka, failing which the IOC and the OCA will reserve the right to consider further action.”
The NOCSL President Suresh Subramaniam thereafter sending out an email to his entire NOCSL Executive further enforced certain measures to safeguard Sri Lanka as a sporting nation and with the clear motive and intention of protecting all athletes.
President Subramaniam’s email stated the following:
Dear Members Executive Board NOCSL,
Dear President NFSL, Dear Secretary General NFSL,
RE: COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE IOC/OCA RELATING TO THE SITUATION OF THE NOCSL1.
I write with reference to the above-mentioned subject and specifically with reference to the under-mentioned correspondence:
a) the letter of IOC-NOC Relations Department dated 15thJanuary 2025 signed by Mr. James Macleod, IOC Director of NOC Relations, Olympic Solidarity and Mr. Husain Al-Musallam, Director General of the OCA.
b) the letter dated 14th January 2025, addressed to Mr. Maxwell De Silva from Mr. Debendranath Sarangi, Chair, OCA Ethics Committee.
The said letter from the IOC-NOC Relations Department is annexed herewith for your reference.
2. I reiterate the contents of my previous emails dated 12thJanuary 2025 (suspending Maxwell from holding the office of Secretary-General of NOCSL) and 15th January 2025 (pertaining to Maxwell’s suspension from the OCA). Giving due consideration to the OCA’s suspension of Maxwell, the IOC in a joint communiqué with the OCA has placed on record its stance relating to Maxwell and the NOCSL.
3. Accordingly, in summary, the IOC-OCA have adopted the following positions and/or stances:
a) Reiterating the contents of OCA’s letter dated 14thJanuary 2025 (suspending Maxwell) and the IOC’sletter dated 10th December 2025 whereby the NOCSL was formally notified that the IOC-OCA would be suspending its funding to the NOCSL.
b) That the calling of an early election prior to the customary quadrennial election to be held in December in the midst of ongoing and/or pending internal and ethical governance issues and investigations relating to the same would be unnecessary and/or inappropriate.Further, the date of such election should be discussed and/or coordinated with the IOC/OCA prior to confirming the same.
c) Prior to the date of the said election all internal governance and/or ethical issues within the NOCSL should be settled and/or resolved.
d) As regards any pending investigations against any member/official the IOC/OCA have stated the following:
“In the meantime, it is expected that any NOC member/official who is currently under investigation and/or sanction will simply stay away from the NOC as per the basic principles of good governance and ethical standards within the Olympic Movement”
e) The President of the NOCSL being the legal representative of the NOCSL as per the NOCSL Constitution will continue to be the sole contact point for the IOC/OCA and only communications from the President will be recognized by the IOC/OCA.
f) The IOC/OCA has reserved its right to consider further action in the event the NOCSL fails and/or refusesand/or neglects to remedy the situation we are presently in.
4. In light of the above stance taken up by the IOC/OCA, it is apparent that the IOC/OCA are dissatisfied with the steps taken in pursuance of the resolution of the ethical/governance issues within the NOCSL. The IOC/OCA have categorically declared that they do not recognize Maxwell as the legitimate Secretary General of the NOCSL any longer. Hence, there cannot be any doubt as regards Maxwell’s future in the NOCSL.
5. Despite the numerous correspondence by the IOC/OCA requesting Maxwell to abide by and/or act in accordance with the suspension recommended by the Ethics Committee, as of date he has refused to do so. Evidently, Maxwell is refusing and/or resisting to abide by all instructions and/or directives given by both local and international bodies (including our parent body, the IOC), demonstrating his arrogance and callous disrespect to the local and international bodies striving hard to reinstate and/or re-establish transparency and good governance in the NOCSL.
6. I draw the attention of the EB to the fact that the IOC/OCAhas served a warning to the NOCSL in the concluding paragraph of its communication under reference that in the event the NOCSL fails to resolve these internal governance/ethical issues the IOC/OCA reserves it right to consider further action.
7. We are presently operating under a suspension of funding from the IOC/OCA, therefore I can only presume that any further action by these bodies would entail severe repercussions for not only the NOCSL but also Sri Lankan athletes as a whole. Such further punitive measures may include even extend to a suspension of the NOCSL, thereby depriving Sri Lankan Athletes from participating in any international sporting competitions. In such an event, the Members of the EB who consciously contrived and/or conspired to prevent the Ethics Committee recommendations from being implemented in a timely and effective manner, would be held accountable for the prejudice caused to Sri Lanka in general and its Athletes in particular.
8. In the aforementioned circumstances, whist reiterating the suspension effected by me (vide my previous e-mail dated 12th January 2025), I trust that Maxwell in the best interests of the NOCSL and Sri Lankan Athletes will abide by the said suspension effected by me as well comply with the instructions and/or directives issued by the IOC/OCA and refrain from interfering with the affairs of the NOCSL in any manner whatsoever. In the event Maxwell continues to be defiant in his irresponsible and reckless conduct, I will not hesitate to act in my capacity as President of the NOCSL to use every lawful means to restrain him from causing any further prejudice to the interests of the NOCSL.
9. In conclusion, I wish to reiterate the warning that I have previously given to the EB that any Member of the EB who aides and abets the aforesaid conduct of Maxwell, in a manner that undermines the lawful directions issued by the IOC/OCA, faces the risk of being similarly dealt with as in the case of Maxwell.
Yours faithfully,
Suresh Subramaniam
President NOCSL
