- IBA Board Director’s wrath against third parties ensures innocent boxers are punished
- Dr. Maiya and Gen.(Rtd)Jagath Jayasuriya collude to execute Gomes’ plans
- Pleas made by boxers directly to IOC, as hopes of Olympic glory fade
In the realm of boxing, fairness and integrity are the cornerstones of the sport. Yet, recent events have cast a dark cloud over these fundamental principles. The International Boxing Association (IBA) Board Director Dian Gomes who also happens to be the President of the Boxing Association of Sri Lanka, leveraging his influence, has targeted third parties, resulting in the unjust persecution of two innocent Sri Lankan boxers.
Behind the scenes of the Sri Lankan boxing world, a web of power dynamics and personal motives has been exposed.
The wrath of the IBA Board Director Gomes, instead of being directed at deserving targets, has unleashed his wrath upon unsuspecting athletes. The two boxers Nadeeka Ranasinghe and Niraj Wijewardena’s cherished dreams of representing the country at the pinnacle of the worlds sporting event the Olympic Games, continues to wither away, as their hopes and aspirations have been marred by the actions of those in positions of authority.
Their only fault happens to be their association with people that have fallen out with the BASL President Dian Gomes.
For example, female boxer Nadeeka’s personal Coach happens to be Amila Thissera who once shared a close relationship with Gomes, whilst Niraj Wijewardena quite unfortunately happens to be the first witness in a case of a sexual nature filed by a victim against Dian Gomes.
A brief history
The two boxers currently being victimized and deprived from competing at the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Boxing Trials in Bangkok, Thailand submitted letters of appeal to the Ministry of Sports and also to the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOCSL) after being ignored by the BASL seeking its intervention and approval to be sent for a chance of qualifying for the Olympic Games.
Minister of Sports Harin Fernando then entrusted this task to his Director General Dr. Shemal Fernando who is attached to the Ministry of Sports to oversee these appeals.
Maiya and Gen. (Rtd) Jagath Jayasuriya conspire to execute Gomes’ agenda
However, Dr. Maiya Gunasekara despite being a Member of the NSSC and after much discussion with Gen.Shavendra Silva and other members of the NSSC, decided to send a letter in his capacity as the Chairman of the NSC to the DG Dr. Shemal Fernando on a NSC letterhead rejecting the appeals of the two boxers.
It’s disheartening to see officials like Dr. Maiya Gunasekara, appointed Chairman of the National Sports Council (NSC) and also a member of Chairman Gen. Shavendra Silva’s National Sports Selection Committee (NSSC), along with Gen. (Rtd) Jagath Jayasuriya, a Member of Dr. Gunasekara’s NSC, who, despite being tasked with upholding the sport’s integrity, have emerged as its greatest adversaries.
The letter sent by Dr. Maiya Gunasekara to the Ministry of Sports
When The Morning Telegraph investigated this further, it was made known that the NSSC Head Gen.Shavendra Silva and the rest of his committee members were unaware that Dr.Maiya Gunasekara had backstabbed all of them and sent this letter to the DG at the Ministry of Sports.
Dr. Maiya Gunasekara’s letter dated the 8th of April 2024 stated that after much consultation with the BASL this decision was made.
This alone was an act of pure injustice extended to the two boxers because it was the BASL and his now NSC Committee Member Gen. (Rtd) Jagath Jayasuriya who was responsible as the former Chairman Boxing Selection Committee in not selecting the two very same boxers.
The repercussions of Dr. Maiya Gunasekara and Gen. (Rtd) Jayasuriya’s recent actions extend far beyond the ring, impacting the lives and careers of two dedicated athletes who have shed much blood, sweat and tears into their craft over the years.
It appears that Dr. Maiya may have been misled by a completely fabricated story narrated to him by Gen. (Rtd) Jagath Jayasuriya. In reality, BASL did not have a Boxing Selection Committee if Gen. (Rtd) Jayasuriya had resigned in December 2023 to take up his new position in the NSC. Additionally, the presence of Udeni Kiridena, a BASL Boxing Selector who is currently under suspension by the IOC after the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, raises concerns about compliance with sports law. Moreover, rejecting an athlete from participating in trials to qualify for the Olympics requires a valid reason to be provided.
Nadeeka Ranasinghe has been boxing for over fifteen years and has an extremely impressive record, winning best junior boxer at the Nationals, awarded the best boxer title on multiple occasions at the senior boxing Nationals, besides winning bronze medals at the SAF Games and also at the Asian Boxing Champions. She represented Sri Lanka at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, UK in 2022 too.
As for Niraj Wijewardena, the son of a former Special Task Force Commander who laid down his life trying to save civilians from a burning warehouse fire, is a boxer who backs one of the hardest punches in the local boxing circuit. He has been a National champ on multiple occasions too.
Niraj after seeking the NOCSL and the Ministry of Sports approval took part in an Asian Boxing Federation calendar event in Taipei and returned to the country with a bronze medal after flooring a Taiwan boxing champ during the tournament. He subsequently represented Sri Lanka at the Asian Games in China in 2023.
Credit must be given to the then Minister of Sports, Roshan Ranasinghe, and the Chairman of the NSC, Arjuna Ranatunga, for their impartial decision to allow Wijewardena to be registered for both tournaments, despite any personal affiliations. However, let’s face it, if Wijewardena a past Kingswoodian had hailed from a different school, perhaps one with more influence like St. Joseph’s College Colombo, it’s likely that the current Minister Harin Fernando would have swiftly resolved this issue by now.
It must be noted that in both of these tournaments, he continued to be harassed by BASL President Gomes, who under his watch sent a letter to the Taipei Boxing Federation discrediting Wijewardena and making every attempt to stop him from competing at the event. Eventually, it was nothing but a huge slap in Gomes’ face when Wijewardena disapproved of his false allegations and returned to the country with a bronze medal in his hand.
On the second occasion Gomes instructed the BASL Coach on tour at the Asian Games in China to not be at the ringside during Wijewardena’s fight. This was conveyed to Wijewardena barely hours before his bout. Fortunately for Wijewardena and due to the NOCSL’s intervention, a coach from India stood by his ringside and a Dutch international cutwoman wrapped his hands before the fight.
To date, the Ministry of Sports has yet to conduct an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding why a National Boxing Coach refused to fulfill his duties at the Asian Games. In truth, many hold Dian Gomes accountable for misusing his authority as the Boxing Head of Sri Lanka.
In Wijewardena’s case, the situation is further complicated by the fact that he has already been registered by the NOCSL as a contestant for the weight class (71kg). This registration occurred during the first Trials, which were for the Asian Games. Subsequently, the second trials took place in Italy in March, where no boxers were sent. Now, the upcoming Boxing Trials in Bangkok represent the third and final selection for the Olympic Games. According to the Paris 2024 Boxing Handbook, once a boxer has been registered for a weight class, another boxer for that same weight class cannot be registered. Dr. Maiya appears to be unaware of these details, which indicates that he has been clearly misled.
These factual accounts are unknown by many.
IOC’s intervention needed
The International Olympic Committee’s intervention is of paramount importance for the sport of boxing to survive in Sri Lanka. After twenty long years of hogging the boxing limelight, President Gomes of the BASL is incapable of sending 13 boxers (7 male & 6 female) to compete in the weight categories that are on offering quota places for Olympic qualification.
Instead, rather shamefully, the BASL is sending just two male boxers to the Olympic Boxing Trials in Bangkok, Thailand.
Why is the BASL preventing these other two boxers Ranasinghe and Wijewardena from going and competing?
What is President Dian Gomes so afraid of?
Why are all Dian Gomes’ henchmen supporting his vindictiveness against these two boxers?
Boxers make further plea directly to the IOC
As the boxing community confronts these unsettling revelations, the two boxers have issued an urgent plea to the International Olympic Committee, invoking the principles outlined in the Olympic Charter and seeking its intervention. The actions of the IBA Board Director, Gomes, demand thorough scrutiny and proactive measures must be taken to prevent similar injustices in the future. It is imperative that boxing works towards reclaiming its tarnished reputation and prioritizes the protection of athletes’ rights. Given the stakes involved, the realization that Nadeeka’s weight class of 50kg provides her with a shot at 4 coveted quota slots, while Wijewardena’s 71kg category offers an even greater chance with 5 quota places, the prospect of missing out on these opportunities is nothing short of heartbreaking.
Gomes, even though not exactly a heavyweight champion in the ring, can hardly brag about his boxing prowess beyond a few jabs at Royal College’s House Meet. Quite the illustrious career, wouldn’t you say? His days as a cornerman? Well, let’s just say there’s much to be desired there. Now, as he gears up to step away from the BASL at the next month’s Boxing Elections, one can’t help but wonder what legacy he’ll actually leave behind.
In its continued pursuit of publishing facts to inspire change, The Morning Telegraph can assert that it possesses a comprehensive dossier of documentary evidence corroborating the content of the articles published in this series on the subject.
