The World Rugby Council has approved the conditional reinstatement of Sri Lanka as a full member of the international federation.
Following a governance review of the union in July 2023, consisting of meetings between World Rugby, Asia Rugby, the Sri Lanka government and all relevant stakeholders, the following outcomes were agreed:
- Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs agreed to remove the suspension of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLR) and also to rescind the order creating the Stabilisation Committee;
- The current Board of the SLR (excluding any suspended member by World Rugby or Asia Rugby) is permitted to continue in office pending a constitutional review and elections to be held no later than the end of March 2024;
- A Constitutional Review Group is established chaired by World Rugby Executive Board member and Asia representative on Council, Ada Milby. The group will be comprised of representatives from the Sri Lanka Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, National Olympic Committee Sri Lanka (NOCSL), Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR), clubs, referees, and schools, with a remit for electing a new board in line with World Rugby Bye-Laws.
Having confirmed agreement with the above, the World Rugby Council were conditionally able to reinstate Sri Lanka as a full member.
The process is geared towards the advancement of rugby in Sri Lanka, the establishment of representative governance and the ability for the union to grow on the regional and international stages.
Sri Lanka Membership Related Articles:
Asia Rugby Reinstates Sri Lanka Rugby as Full Member
Sri Lanka Rugby suspended as a member of World Rugby
Separate Cases, Due Process Followed in Sri Lanka Rugby, Rizly Ilyas suspensions: Asia Rugby Clarifies
In May 2023, World Rugby suspended the Sri Lanka Rugby Union due to concerns about governance and a breach of World Rugby Bye-Laws related to political interference. The suspension took immediate effect. The World Rugby Council and Asia Rugby mutually agreed to collaborate with all relevant stakeholders to minimise disruptions to rugby in Sri Lanka.
