CoPA sitting suspended due to bumbling sports officials

• Officials from the Sports Ministry and Department of Sports Development were slammed by CoPA for their lack of preparation
• Those present fail to provide responses to simple queries as the number of sports played at Olympics 
• CoPA observes officials were also unaware of functions and responsibilities of the National Sports Council
• CoPA Chairman says such an incident has not occurred in CoPA’s recent history

The Committee on Public Accounts (CoPA) strongly criticised officials of the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs and the Department of Sports Development for the lack of preparation during their appearance before the committee on Friday.

The Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs and the Department of Sports Development officials were summoned to appear before the CoPA chaired by MP Lasantha Alagiyawanna. The purpose of this meeting was to deliberate on the relevant Auditor General's reports for the years 2020 and 2021, as well as to assess the current performance of the respective departments.

During the session, the officials who were summoned to address the issues outlined in the Auditor General's report failed to provide satisfactory responses to questions posed by the CoPA. In response, the Chairman expressed the CoPA’s dissatisfaction with their lack of preparation, particularly considering that they had been called upon to provide insights into the state of the country's sports affairs.

Based on the responses provided by the officials, the CoPA noted it has become evident that there is a lack of a comprehensive national sports plan and a notable absence of oversight concerning the allocation and utilisation of Government funds in sports. Additionally, the Committee members acknowledged that these deficiencies may potentially lead to a troubling state of affairs in the country's sports sector.

The officials who appeared before the committee were questioned about the number of sports in the Olympic games, but were unable to provide an accurate response. Furthermore, it was noted that these officials could not provide clear and detailed information regarding Sri Lanka's participation and performance in the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, and South Asian Games. 

The CoPA also inquired about the number of sports in Sri Lanka that have established national records, as well as the sports actively played in the country and the records maintained for those sports over the past five years. Unfortunately, the officials were unable to provide a precise and specific response to these questions as well.

It was also observed that the officials did not possess a clear understanding of the functions and responsibilities of the National Sports Council, which was established to provide advice to the Minister.

Due to the lack of preparation exhibited by the officials from the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs and the Department of Sports Development, Alagiyawanna took steps to suspend the committee's proceedings. 

 Alagiyawanna noted that such an incident had not occurred in recent history within the CoPA. As a result, the committee decided to reschedule another meeting with the officials. The Communication Department of the Parliament has announced the officials will be summoned again on 20 October to appear before the Committee on Accounts and address the issues at hand.