Asanga Seneviratne has been elected President of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Sri Lanka, securing a clear majority at the body’s quadrennial election held on Friday evening at Sri Lanka Olympic House.
Seneviratne, who currently presides over the Sri Lanka Baseball Softball Federation and previously led Sri Lanka Rugby, polled 16 votes. Sri Lanka Football Federation President Jaswar Umar received 11 votes, while Sri Lanka Shooting Federation Vice President Shirantha Peiris secured two votes.
The election to fill the NOC’s leadership for the next four-year term drew the participation of 29 affiliated sports associations entitled to vote.
Seneviratne takes over Sri Lanka’s apex Olympic governing body at a sensitive juncture for the country’s sports administration. The NOC’s authority over national federation disputes has been contested in the courts in recent months — most prominently in the Nuwan Thushara IPL no-objection certificate dispute, which dragged Sri Lanka Cricket and the NOC into a high-profile petition that was eventually withdrawn after a public apology.
Preparations for the next cycle of regional and international competitions, including Olympic-pathway events, will fall under the new president’s stewardship from the outset of the new term.
Seneviratne’s victory consolidates leadership of multiple national bodies under a single experienced administrator and is expected to be tested early by ongoing federation-level disputes already on the NOC’s docket.
