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Shammi Silva Eyeing to secure sole World Cup hosting rights for Sri Lanka

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Shammi Silva was unanimously re-elected President for the term 2023 to 2025 at the Sri Lanka Cricket AGM held on Saturday to elect office-bearers. The decision was declared by the Election Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket.

Silva’s election marks his 3rd term in office as President of SLC, and the 2nd time being elected uncontested.

Speaking to the media following the AGM, Silva spoke about objectives for his next two-year term, one of which was securing sole World Cup hosting rights for Sri Lanka, which is due to co-host the 2026 T20 World Cup with India.

“We won’t get to back our missed World Cup opportunity. We missed out on hosting the World Cup alone in 2026, as we didn’t have enough grounds of international standard with flood lights,” Silva said.

“We had a proposal to build a new stadium quashed by a few people. Because of that, the country has lost the opportunity of hosting Worlds Cups. In time to come, we want Sri Lanka to host more World Cup tournaments. At the same time, if we have more stadiums we can get certain tournaments that are being played in other countries to be played in Sri Lanka.”

Silva added that the proposal to build a new floodlit stadium in Biyagama, about 12 miles outside Colombo, would be looked at again in the near future.

Silva also revealed that discussions were underway about potential changes in voting rights among SLC’s member clubs. Currently, SLC elections count 148 votes from its members, with some clubs having the privilege of two votes owing to different categories of membership. Critics of the system have long argued that it gives rise to a culture of buying votes.

“We are discussing it with the Sports Ministry and Minister. We have appointed a committee, so we’re definitely going to reduce a lot of votes,” he said.

The position of Honorary Assistant Treasurer remained vacant due to the nomination being withdrawn, and an appointment will be made in due course, as per Article 7 (I) of the SLC constitution.

The rest of the office-bearers, who were also elected uncontested, are as follows:

  • Dr. Jayantha Dharmadasa, Honorary Vice President

Ravin Wickramaratne, Honorary Vice President

Mohan de Silva, Honorary Secretary

Sujeeva Godaliyadda, Honorary Treasurer

Chryshantha Kapuwatte, Honorary Assistant Secretary

Shammi Silva Eyeing to secure sole World Cup hosting rights for Sri Lanka

Shammi Silva was unanimously re-elected President for the term 2023 to 2025 at the Sri Lanka Cricket AGM held on Saturday to elect office-bearers. The decision was declared by the Election Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket.

Silva’s election marks his 3rd term in office as President of SLC, and the 2nd time being elected uncontested.

Speaking to the media following the AGM, Silva spoke about objectives for his next two-year term, one of which was securing sole World Cup hosting rights for Sri Lanka, which is due to co-host the 2026 T20 World Cup with India.

“We won’t get to back our missed World Cup opportunity. We missed out on hosting the World Cup alone in 2026, as we didn’t have enough grounds of international standard with flood lights,” Silva said.

“We had a proposal to build a new stadium quashed by a few people. Because of that, the country has lost the opportunity of hosting Worlds Cups. In time to come, we want Sri Lanka to host more World Cup tournaments. At the same time, if we have more stadiums we can get certain tournaments that are being played in other countries to be played in Sri Lanka.”

Silva added that the proposal to build a new floodlit stadium in Biyagama, about 12 miles outside Colombo, would be looked at again in the near future.

Silva also revealed that discussions were underway about potential changes in voting rights among SLC’s member clubs. Currently, SLC elections count 148 votes from its members, with some clubs having the privilege of two votes owing to different categories of membership. Critics of the system have long argued that it gives rise to a culture of buying votes.

“We are discussing it with the Sports Ministry and Minister. We have appointed a committee, so we’re definitely going to reduce a lot of votes,” he said.

The position of Honorary Assistant Treasurer remained vacant due to the nomination being withdrawn, and an appointment will be made in due course, as per Article 7 (I) of the SLC constitution.

The rest of the office-bearers, who were also elected uncontested, are as follows:

*Dr. Jayantha Dharmadasa, Honorary Vice President

Ravin Wickramaratne, Honorary Vice President

Mohan de Silva, Honorary Secretary

Sujeeva Godaliyadda, Honorary Treasurer

Chrysantha Kapuwatte, Honorary Assistant Secretary

ශම්මි සිල්වා ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට තනිව ලෝක කුසලාන සත්කාරක අයිතිය ලබා ගැනීමට අපේක්ෂා කරයි

සෙනසුරාදා පැවති ශ්‍රී ලංකා ක්‍රිකට් සාමාන්‍යාධිකාරී මණ්ඩල රැස්වීමේදී 2023 සිට 2025 දක්වා කාලය සඳහා ශම්මි සිල්වා ඒකමතිකව නැවත සභාපතිවරයා ලෙස තේරී පත් විය. ශ්‍රී ලංකා ක්‍රිකට් නිලවරණ කමිටුව විසින් මෙම තීරණය ප්‍රකාශයට පත් කර ඇත.

සිල්වා මහතා ශ්‍රී ලංකා ක්‍රිකට් ආයතනයේ සභාපති ධූරයේ 3 වැනි ධුර කාලය සනිටුහන් කරන අතර 2 වැනි වරටත් නිතරගයෙන් තේරී පත් විය.

මහා සභා රැස්වීමෙන් අනතුරුව මාධ්‍ය වෙත අදහස් දක්වමින් සිල්වා, ඔහුගේ ඉදිරි වසර දෙකක ධුර කාලය සඳහා අරමුණු ගැන කතා කළ අතර, ඉන් එකක් වූයේ 2026 T20 ලෝක කුසලානය ඉන්දියාව සමඟ සම සත්කාරකත්වය දැරීමට නියමිත ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට එකම ලෝක කුසලාන සත්කාරක අයිතිය ලබා ගැනීමයි.

“අපට අහිමි වූ ලෝක කුසලාන අවස්ථාවට පිටුබලය දීමට අපට නොහැකි වනු ඇත. 2026 දී පමණක් ලෝක කුසලානය පැවැත්වීම අපට මග හැරුණි, මන්ද අපට ජාත්‍යන්තර මට්ටමේ විදුලි පහන් සහිත ක්‍රීඩාංගණ ප්‍රමාණවත් නොවීම නිසා,” සිල්වා පැවසීය.

“අපිට යෝජනාවක් තිබුණා කීප දෙනෙක් එකතුවෙලා නවත්තලා අලුත් ක්‍රීඩාංගනයක් හදන්න. ඒ නිසා ලෝක කුසලාන පැවැත්වීමේ අවස්ථාව රටට අහිමි වෙලා. ඉදිරි කාලය තුළ ශ්‍රී ලංකාව තවත් ලෝක කුසලාන තරඟාවලි පවත්වන්න ඕන. ඒ එක්කම. අපට තවත් ක්‍රීඩාංගණ තිබේ නම් අපට වෙනත් රටවල ක්‍රීඩා කරන ඇතැම් තරඟාවලි ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ පැවැත්වීමට හැකි වේ.

කොළඹින් සැතපුම් 12ක් පමණ එපිටින් බියගම ප්‍රදේශයේ නව විදුලි ආලෝක ක්‍රීඩාංගනයක් ඉදිකිරීමේ යෝජනාව නුදුරු අනාගතයේදී නැවත සලකා බලන බව ද සිල්වා මහතා පැවසීය.

ශ‍්‍රී ලංකා ක‍්‍රිකට් ආයතනයේ සාමාජික සමාජ අතර ඡන්ද අයිතියේ ඇති විය හැකි වෙනස්කම් පිළිබඳව සාකච්ඡා කෙරෙමින් පවතින බව ද සිල්වා මහතා අනාවරණය කළේය. වර්තමානයේදී, ශ්‍රී ලංකා ක්‍රිකට් නිලවරණය එහි සාමාජිකයින්ගෙන් ඡන්ද 148ක් ගණනය කරනු ලබන අතර, විවිධ සාමාජික කාණ්ඩ හේතුවෙන් ඇතැම් සමාජශාලාවලට ඡන්ද දෙකක වරප්‍රසාද හිමිවේ. මෙම ක්‍රමය විවේචනය කරන්නන් දිගු කලක් තිස්සේ තර්ක කරන්නේ එය ඡන්ද මිලදී ගැනීමේ සංස්කෘතියක් ඇති කරන බවයි.

“අපි ඒ ගැන ක්‍රීඩා අමාත්‍යාංශය සහ ඇමතිතුමා එක්ක සාකච්ඡා කරනවා. අපි කමිටුවක් පත් කර තිබෙනවා. ඒ නිසා අපි අනිවාර්යයෙන්ම ඡන්ද ගොඩක් අඩු කරනවා,” ඔහු පැවසීය.

නාමයෝජනා ඉල්ලා අස්කර ගැනීම හේතුවෙන් ගරු සහකාර භාණ්ඩාගාරික තනතුර පුරප්පාඩු වූ අතර, ශ්‍රී ලංකා ක්‍රිකට් ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ 7 (I) වගන්තිය ප්‍රකාර පත්වීමක් ඉදිරියේදී සිදු කෙරේ.

එසේම නිතරගයෙන් තේරී පත් වූ සෙසු නිලධාරී මණ්ඩලය මෙසේය.

*ආචාර්ය. ජයන්ත ධර්මදාස, ගරු උප සභාපති

රවීන් වික්‍රමරත්න, ගරු උප සභාපති

මොහාන් ද සිල්වා, ගරු ලේකම්

සුජීව ගොඩලියද්ද, ගරු භාණ්ඩාගාරික

ක්‍රිසාන්ත කපුවත්ත, ගරු සහකාර ලේකම්

ஷம்மி சில்வா இலங்கைக்கான முற்றிலும் உலகக் கோப்பையை நடத்தும் உரிமையைப் பெற விரும்புகிறார்

2023 ஆம் ஆண்டு முதல் 2025 ஆம் ஆண்டு வரையிலான காலப்பகுதிக்கான ஜனாதிபதியாக ஷம்மி சில்வா சனிக்கிழமையன்று நடைபெற்ற இலங்கை கிரிக்கெட் பொதுக்குழுவில் பதவியேற்றார். இந்த முடிவை இலங்கை கிரிக்கெட் வாரியம் அறிவித்துள்ளது.

சில்வாவின் தேர்தல் அவர் SLC இன் தலைவராக 3வது முறையாக பதவியேற்றதுடன், 2வது முறையாக போட்டியின்றி தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட்டார்.

AGM ஐத் தொடர்ந்து ஊடகங்களுக்குப் பேட்டியளித்த சில்வா, தனது அடுத்த இரண்டு வருட பதவிக் காலத்திற்கான நோக்கங்களைப் பற்றி பேசினார், அதில் ஒன்று, 2026 T20 உலகக் கோப்பையை இந்தியாவுடன் இணைந்து நடத்தவுள்ள இலங்கைக்கான உலகக் கோப்பை ஹோஸ்டிங் உரிமைகளைப் பெறுவது.

“எங்கள் தவறவிட்ட உலகக் கோப்பை வாய்ப்பை நாங்கள் ஆதரிக்க மாட்டோம். 2026 இல் உலகக் கோப்பையை மட்டும் நடத்துவதை நாங்கள் தவறவிட்டோம், ஏனெனில் எங்களிடம் போதுமான சர்வதேச தரத்தில் ஃப்ளட் லைட்கள் இல்லை,” என்று சில்வா கூறினார்.

“ஒரு சிலரால் புதிய மைதானம் கட்டும் திட்டம் இருந்தது. அதனால், உலகக் கோப்பைகளை நடத்தும் வாய்ப்பை நாடு இழந்துவிட்டது. வரும் காலத்தில், இலங்கை மேலும் உலகக் கோப்பை போட்டிகளை நடத்த வேண்டும் என்று நாங்கள் விரும்புகிறோம். எங்களிடம் அதிக மைதானங்கள் இருந்தால், மற்ற நாடுகளில் விளையாடும் சில போட்டிகளை இலங்கையில் நடத்த முடியும்.”

கொழும்பிற்கு வெளியே சுமார் 12 மைல் தொலைவில் உள்ள பியகமவில் புதிய ஃப்ளட்லைட் மைதானத்தை நிர்மாணிப்பதற்கான முன்மொழிவு எதிர்காலத்தில் மீண்டும் பரிசீலிக்கப்படும் என்று சில்வா மேலும் கூறினார்.

SLC இன் அங்கத்துவக் கழகங்களுக்கிடையில் வாக்களிக்கும் உரிமைகளில் சாத்தியமான மாற்றங்கள் குறித்து கலந்துரையாடல்கள் நடைபெற்று வருவதாகவும் சில்வா தெரிவித்தார். தற்போது, SLC தேர்தல்கள் அதன் உறுப்பினர்களிடமிருந்து 148 வாக்குகளைக் கணக்கிடுகின்றன, சில கிளப்கள் வெவ்வேறு வகை உறுப்பினர்களின் காரணமாக இரண்டு வாக்குகளின் சிறப்புரிமையைப் பெற்றுள்ளன. வாக்குகளை விலைக்கு வாங்கும் கலாசாரம் உருவாகிறது என்று இந்த அமைப்பை விமர்சிப்பவர்கள் நீண்டகாலமாக வாதிட்டு வருகின்றனர்.

“நாங்கள் விளையாட்டு அமைச்சகத்துடனும் அமைச்சருடனும் ஆலோசித்து வருகிறோம். நாங்கள் ஒரு குழுவை நியமித்துள்ளோம், எனவே நாங்கள் நிச்சயமாக நிறைய வாக்குகளைக் குறைக்கப் போகிறோம்,” என்று அவர் கூறினார்.

வேட்புமனு வாபஸ் பெறப்பட்டதால் கெளரவ உதவி பொருளாளர் பதவி காலியாக உள்ளது, மேலும் SLC அரசியலமைப்பின் பிரிவு 7 (I) இன் படி, உரிய நேரத்தில் நியமனம் செய்யப்படும்.

போட்டியின்றி தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட்ட மீதமுள்ள நிர்வாகிகள் விவரம் வருமாறு:

*டாக்டர். ஜயந்த தர்மதாச, கௌரவ உப தலைவர்

ரவின் விக்கிரமரத்ன, கௌரவ உப தலைவர்

மொஹான் டி சில்வா, கௌரவ செயலாளர்

சுஜீவ கொடலியத்த, கௌரவ பொருளாளர்

கிரிசாந்த கபுவத்த, கௌரவ உதவிச் செயலாளர்

News

Isipathana Clinches U19 Knockout Crown with Dramatic Final Victory Over Trinity

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Isipathana Clinches U19 Knockout Crown with Dramatic Final Victory Over Trinity

Isipathana College emerged triumphant in the final of the 2025 Under-19 Schools Rugby Knockout Tournament, edging out Trinity College 12-9 in a nail-biting showdown at Sugathadasa Stadium. With this hard-fought win, Isipathana secured their 13th President’s Trophy title, further solidifying their legacy as one of Sri Lanka’s rugby powerhouses.

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Early Advantage for Isipathana

The defending champions struck first with an impressive opening try, setting the tone for a high-stakes encounter. Avishka Hiran calmly added the conversion, giving Isipathana an early 7-0 lead.

Trinity responded with composure, as fly-half Shan Altaf slotted two well-taken penalties, reducing the deficit to a single point. Despite sustained pressure from both sides and chances that went begging, neither team could breach the opposition’s line again in the first half. The teams went into the break with Isipathana narrowly ahead, 7-6.

Grit and Discipline in the Second Half

The second half saw a continuation of the intense battle, but Trinity was handed a blow when Disal Thomas was sin-binned for persistent team infringements. Despite having a numerical advantage, Isipathana squandered a couple of penalty opportunities, as the kicking duties switched between players with no success.

Tensions escalated when Kaveen Jayasinghe was shown a yellow card for a biting offense, a disciplinary lapse that handed momentum back to Trinity. Fly-half Altaf seized the opportunity, delivering a beautifully executed drop goal to hand Trinity their first lead of the game, 9-7.

Late Heroics Seal the Title

As time ticked down and the match appeared to be slipping away, Isipathana found inspiration. Avishka Hiran, showing great awareness and timing, delivered a clever offload to Yuvindu Kodithuwakku, who powered his way past three defenders to score the match-winning try.

The conversion was missed, but it mattered little as the green shirts held on for a 12-9 victory, sealing back-to-back Knockout Championships.

Match Summary:

  • Full Time: Trinity College 09 (3 Penalties) – Isipathana College 12 (2 Tries, 1 Conversion)
  • Try Scorers: Adithya Madushan, Yuvindu Kodithuwakku (Isipathana)
  • Conversion: Avishka Hiran (Isipathana)
  • Penalties/Drop Goal: Shan Altaf (Trinity) – 2 Penalties, 1 Drop Goal

Glory for Isipathana, Lessons for Trinity

Isipathana’s ability to absorb pressure and respond in key moments underlined their championship pedigree. While Trinity displayed grit and tactical discipline, they were ultimately undone by missed opportunities and a lack of execution in the final stages.

As the curtains fall on the 2025 U19 Schools Rugby Knockout, Isipathana College once again stands tall, crowned champions in a finale that showcased the depth, drama, and raw emotion of school rugby in Sri Lanka.

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Athletics

Ritzbury Celebrates Sri Lanka’s Rising Track Stars and Coaches for Historic Medal Haul at Asian Youth Athletics Championship 2025

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Ritzbury, one of Sri Lanka’s leading supporters of youth athletics, proudly honoured five exceptional athletes and their coaches for their remarkable performances at the 6th Asian Youth Athletics Championship 2025, held in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The felicitation ceremony was held on May 2nd at Cinnamon Life, Colombo, under the banner of Ritzbury’s signature initiative, Mawbimata Weerayek (A Hero to the Nation).

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Out of the eight Sri Lankan medalists at the continental event, five belong to the Mawbimata Weerayek program, showcasing the success of Ritzbury’s long-term investment in grassroots athletic development. These young athletes, who carried the nation’s hopes with pride, were not only felicitated with awards but also received financial support to further their sportingu journeys.

Among the honourees was M.G.T. Abhisheka Premasiri, who brought home Sri Lanka’s only Gold medal in the Girls’ 800m and added a Silver in the medley relay. Dananjana Sewmini Fernando shone with two Silvers—one in the 100m sprint and another in the medley relay. Meanwhile, H.D. Shavindu Avishka (800m), G.D. Lahiru Achintha (1500m), and J.H.P. Nethya Sampath (High Jump) earned Bronze medals, contributing to Sri Lanka’s highest-ever medal tally at the championship.

Recognising the vital role of coaching, Ritzbury also paid tribute to the five national coaches behind this success: Buddhika Nuwan, Anuradha Nanayakkara, R.H.M. Jude Chinthaka, K.H.A.D.S.I. Kularathna, and Suranjith Senarath. Their guidance, discipline, and preparation were applauded as critical to transforming potential into podium finishes.

Speaking at the event, Kamal Geeganage (CEO) and Niluksha Bastiansz (General Manager – Marketing, CBL Foods International) expressed their pride and reaffirmed Ritzbury’s long-standing commitment to national athletics. They highlighted that the Mawbimata Weerayek program, launched in 2019, now supports 65 young talents across Sri Lanka with financial aid and mentorship, aiming to elevate Sri Lankan athletics on both national and international stages.

With their eyes now set on bigger global competitions, these young athletes symbolize a bright future for Sri Lankan athletics. Initiatives like Mawbimata Weerayek not only bring recognition but also lay the foundation for long-term sporting excellence.

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News

Trinity and Isipathana Set Up Thrilling Showdown in President’s Trophy Rugby Final

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The stage is set for a blockbuster finale in the Sri Lanka Schools Under-19 President’s Trophy Knockout Rugby Tournament as Trinity College and Isipathana College stormed into the final with convincing wins in their respective semi-finals. The much-anticipated final will take place on May 18 at 3:45 PM at the Sugathadasa Stadium.

Quarterfinal Recap:

Zahira College earned automatic qualification to the semi-finals after St. Peter’s withdrew from the tournament.

Trinity College secured a 24-15 win over S. Thomas’ College with a dominant display, scoring three tries, three conversions, and a penalty.

Royal College overcame DS Senanayake College with an emphatic 41-24 win, showcasing their attacking firepower.

Isipathana College proved too strong for Wesley College, triumphing 24-10 to book their spot in the semis.

Semi-final Highlights:

Trinity College vs Zahira College: Trinity continued their fine form, beating Zahira 29-12. Their win came through four tries, three conversions, and a penalty, underlining their dominance in the tournament.

Isipathana College vs Royal College: In a fiercely contested battle, Isipathana edged past Royal 24-17 with three tries, three conversions, and a crucial penalty.

With both teams displaying exceptional skill and resilience throughout the tournament, the final promises to be a thrilling encounter between two powerhouses of school rugby.

Final Match Details:

Trinity College vs Isipathana College

Date: May 18, 2025

Venue: Royal College Sports Complex

Kick-off: 3:45 PM

Stay tuned to Sri Lankan Sports TV for live updates, post-match analysis, and exclusive coverage of the President’s Trophy final

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