The Boxing Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) is up in arms over reports that a second Sri Lanka boxer Niraj Wijewardena has been sent without their approval for the 19th Asian Games which began yesterday in Hangzhou, China.
Feather weight national champion Rukmal Prasanna was the solitary boxer approved by the National Sports Selection Committee (NSSC) headed by Gen. Shavendra Silva to represent Sri Lanka in boxing at the Games.
He had been selected as the number one choice following the National Boxing Championship held in February which served as a selection trial for the Asian Games.
The BASL selection committee headed by Gen. Jagath Jayasuriya had followed a meticulous selection process ranking Prasanna as number one and upcoming young talent 20-year-old fly weight national champion Umayanga Mihiran as number two.
Since the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOCSL) and the Ministry of Sports had decided to send only one boxer, Prasanna was the only boxer named in the 153-member Sri Lanka contingent comprising 96 announced a month before the event.
However, it has come to light now that Wijewardena has been included in the official Sri Lanka contingent on the eve of the Games much to the surprise of everybody. His virtual back-door entry at the last minute to represent Sri Lanka raises many questions on the national selection process for international events.
“This is wrong. If they wanted to send another boxer they could have chosen the number two, three or fourth ranked. But here they are sending someone who did not take part in the trials and lost in the quarter-finals of the National Sports Festival.
“We don’t have a chance in the higher weights. He will make a fool of himself fighting in the 75kg weight at the Asian Games,” said BASL president Dian Gomes demanding an inquiry from authorities concerned regarding this ad-hoc decision.
Wijewardena was at the centre of controversy after being overlooked for the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games in which five male boxers represented Sri Lanka.
His appeals to the NOCSL and Ministry of Sports fell on deaf ears.
He won a professional contest in Colombo in November and propelled into the national limelight when he won a bronze medal at the 13th Taipei City Cup international boxing tournament. Ironically, he was not selected by the BASL for this tournament with his trip being sponsored by the NOCSL.
