In a significant development for Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR), World Rugby has granted an extension to hold the postponed election of office bearers or Annual General Meeting (AGM) under a new Constitution until January 31, 2025.
The original deadline of November 8, 2024, was set following long-standing administrative and governance issues but became challenging to meet due to ongoing legal proceedings.
The extension came in response to an appeal from Sri Lanka’s Competent Authority for Rugby, Professor (Rear Admiral) Shemal Fernando, who called it “one of the greatest pieces of news” for Sri Lanka rugby’s future.
The issues with SLR governance began surfacing earlier this year. On May 31 the term of the existing SLR office bearers ended without a new election due to procedural delays.
This prompted World Rugby to enforce administrative oversight, temporarily assigning governance to Professor Fernando, the Director General of Sports in Sri Lanka, who has overseen the efforts to bring SLR in line with international standards.
In December, a joint meeting was held in Colombo with representatives from World Rugby, Asia Rugby, the Ministry of Sports, the National Olympic Committee and local rugby stakeholders. The meeting established an agreement on Constitutional reforms needed to strengthen SLR’s governance and maintain its eligibility for international competition.
However, subsequent delays, including a court injunction issued on the day of a planned Special General Meeting (SGM) for the Constitutional amendments, further complicated the situation.
With Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya who is also the Sports Minister, Fernando reached out for support in expediting the court processes related to SLR’s Constitutional reforms.
Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya swiftly referred the matter to the Attorney General, resulting in a court verdict being set for November 6, which is expected to clear the legal path for the SGM and AGM of Sri Lanka Rugby.
On October 25, David Carrigy, World Rugby’s Chief of International Federation Relations, responded to Fernando’s October 16 appeal with confirmation of the extension.
Fernando expressed hope that the “final extension” would give stakeholders sufficient time to establish a new Constitution and avoid the risk of a 12-month ban.
“Hopefully, by November 6, we can complete everything, God willing, in the best interest of Sri Lankan rugby and its players”, said Fernando.
