September 04, Colombo (LNW): A group of 31 young karate athletes from Sri Lanka, many of them school-aged students, faced crushing disappointment on September 02 when their long-awaited journey to the 23rd Asian Cadet, Junior, and Under-21 Karate Championships in Shaoguan, China, was abruptly cancelled due to a failure to secure the necessary travel visas.
The international tournament, set to take place from September 05 to 07, was meant to be a landmark event for the team, who had spent over six weeks in intensive training. Each competitor had reportedly contributed approximately Rs. 580,000 to cover flight tickets, accommodation, and other travel-related expenses.
Many families, desperate to support their children’s sporting ambitions, had gone to extreme lengths — including taking out loans and mortgaging property — to fund the trip.
Despite arriving well ahead of their scheduled SriLankan Airlines departure at Bandaranaike International Airport, the athletes and their families were met with confusion and silence. Crucially, no representatives from the Sri Lanka Karate Federation were present at the airport to coordinate logistics or explain the unfolding situation.
It soon became apparent that the necessary visas had not been secured — a critical oversight that rendered travel to China impossible.
Left waiting outside the departure terminal for hours, the disheartened athletes eventually dispersed and returned to their hometowns, their hopes dashed and futures uncertain.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has since launched a formal inquiry into the matter. In a strongly worded statement, the Ministry laid full responsibility at the feet of the governing federation, emphasising that the obligation to secure visas and flight arrangements lies squarely with the sports authority overseeing the athletes.
Condemning what it described as “careless and negligent conduct,” the Ministry also signalled that disciplinary measures may be pursued against those found accountable for the debacle.
