Sri Lanka always willing to host India-Pakistan sporting events, says Minister

 Sri Lanka is “always willing” to host sporting events featuring India and Pakistan, Sports Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage said, pointing to the island’s proximity and Colombo’s strong ties with New Delhi and Islamabad as advantages. “Not just cricket, we are willing to extend our fullest cooperation and support to host any game between India and Pakistan if they make a request. Both countries are our close friends and partners,” he said. 

Speaking to The Hindu at his office in Colombo, Mr. Gamage further said that Sri Lanka is looking forward to welcoming cricket fans from India to watch the Test series next month. India is scheduled to tour Sri Lanka in August for a Test series, with matches scheduled at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) in Colombo and the Galle International Stadium in the southern coastal district. 

“We saw a large number of Indians travelling to Sri Lanka earlier this year for the [ICC Men’s] T20 World Cup that we co-hosted with India. We hope that there is a similar interest in the Test series too. Sri Lanka offers a lovely environment for sporting events, and as we did last time, we will ensure that very good security arrangements are in place.”

Still recovering from the economic crash of 2022, Sri Lanka is counting on revenue from the tourism sector, a key foreign exchange earner, to boost its reserves. India tops Sri Lanka’s tourist arrival charts, and authorities observed a spike in Indian tourists in February 2026, just ahead of the India-Pakistan match. Local media reported that hotels in Colombo were fully booked ahead of the much-anticipated game between the sporting rivals. 

While promoting the island as a feasible destination for international sporting events, Sri Lanka has also set out to reform cricket administration in the country. In April this year, the Sports Minister appointed a nine-member Transformation Committee for Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). Its members, including cricketing greats Kumar Sangakkara, Roshan Mahanama and Sidath Wettimuny, apart from business leaders and professionals, have been tasked with “transforming and restructuring” cricket administration, which has for long been marred by political interference, mismanagement, and financial irregularities. 

“We want to chart a proper path forward for the game. A new constitution, a credible election, and stronger structures for cricket at the local level, be it in schools, at the district or provincial level, that is our focus,” Minister Gamage said, adding that improvements in those areas will also lead to better player selection. Women’s cricket is another “key area”. “We have some great players, skills; we see that from time to time. The committee will come out with a comprehensive plan to strengthen women’s cricket too.”

Coinciding with the committee’s early efforts to reform cricket administration, International Cricket Council Chairman Jay Shah visited Colombo last month and held high-level talks. Following a meeting with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Mr. Shah wrote on ‘X’ that discussions focused on increasing opportunities for emerging players and supporting grassroots and youth development programmes. “We also exchanged views on the role Sri Lanka continues to play in hosting major international events,” he said in the post. Describing Mr. Shah’s visit as “very good”, Minister Gamage said: “We want to make sure that the funds Sri Lanka receives from ICC are used efficiently and in a transparent manner to develop the game.” 

Sri Lanka is also gearing up for the sixth season of the Lanka Premier League (LPL), scheduled from July 17 to August 8, with five franchises participating. “We are looking forward to that,” Mr. Gamage said. 

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has also been urging its sportspeople living abroad to play for the country. “Already [Sri Lankan-American gymnast] Tiana Sumanasekera, who formerly represented the U.S. women’s artistic gymnastics team, has agreed to play for Sri Lanka. We are hoping we can import more players to develop sports in our country and motivate aspiring players. Many countries do that already.” 

While Sri Lanka is focused on strengthening cricket, the government is simultaneously working on enhancing opportunities for other sports as well. “In fact, we have sought assistance from India in areas of coaching and training. We are exploring the possibilities of bringing down chess grandmasters from India to train our players. We are in discussion with the Indian High Commission in Colombo, and the response so far has been very positive,” the Minister said, adding that “shared histories and culture” made India and Sri Lanka close partners. 

“We hope and look forward to meeting India in the South Asian Games too,” he said, referring to the multi-sport regional event scheduled to be held in Pakistan in March 2027. India is yet to officially confirm participation.