Corporates pack muscle into Sri Lankan rugby

With the Asia Rugby World Cup Qualifiers in the pipeline, a sense of momentum is building around the Sri Lanka national rugby team — not just on the pitch, but in the boardroom and sponsor suites as well. In a media event that blended patriotic fervor, corporate pride and cautious optimism, top officials from Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR), key sponsors, and the players themselves gathered in Colombo to lay out their ambitions ahead of a crucial series of international fixtures.

- BY IFHAM NIZAM

At the heart of the event was the announcement of Maliban as the Platinum Sponsor of the Sri Lanka rugby team for the “Asia Rugby World Cup Qualifiers powered by Maliban,” with support from other partners like Commercial Bank, Aitken Spence Travels, Power World and Edge Nutrition.

But beyond the fanfare, the event also showcased a deeper narrative: a sport undergoing transformation, a governing body realigning with international standards and a team preparing to reassert itself on the Asian rugby stage.

Responding to The Island Financial Review, Retired Senior DIG Latiff, chairman of the Sri Lanka Rugby Task Force, addressed the pressing issue of rugby governance, assuring both World Rugby and the local public that structural reforms were well underway.

"By vote of appeal, I did file an order that the new Constitution shall be approved by World Rugby. The foundation is the Constitutional Review Group, Latiff confirmed. “The new Constitution has already been published and registered. That's why we're having this programme as a one-time measure — we are on track."