Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs, Rohana Dissanayake, announced that preparations have been completed to inaugurate artificial hockey rinks in Matale and Reed Avenue, Colombo before July 15, under the directives of President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

He emphasized the government’s commitment to overcoming legal hurdles within various sports federations, paving the way for a new era in sports development.

Mr. Dissanayake made these remarks during a press conference held today (07) at the Presidential Media Centre, themed ‘Collective path to a stable country’.
Elaborating further, State Minister Dissnayake said;

The artificial hockey rinks at Reed Avenue in Colombo and Matale, which were previously closed for years, are undergoing modernization as per directives from President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Sports Minister Harin Fernando.

A special program, with a budget of LKR 140 million for Matale and LKR 160 million for Colombo, is underway to revamp these facilities, set to reopen before July 15 under President Wickremesinghe’s supervision.

Furthermore, the Sports Ministry has registered 67 national sports association federations while cancelling 5. However, the Sri Lanka Cycling Federation, Sri Lanka Rugby Federation, Sri Lanka Automobile Federation, and Sri Lanka Netball Federation face issues as they haven’t updated their status as at May 31. To tackle this issue, the Sports Minister has empowered Director General of Sports Rear Admiral Shamal Fernando to resolve the matter through a special gazette.

Additionally, court proceedings are ongoing for petitions filed by three other sports federations.

Addressing these issues is seen as pivotal in ushering in a new era of sports. Moreover, in the recent budget, President Wickremesinghe allocated LKR 1.5 billion for school cricket development. Consequently, a new orientation program with the School Cricket Federation is underway.