Lyceum’s ISAC medallist represented Yashodara at Divisional competitions

Sprinter Dilmi Dahanayake, who won double gold medals during the recently concluded International Schools Athletics Championship (ISAC) representing Lyceum International School Wattala, has again represented her previous school Yashodara BV Colombo in the Borella Divisional Schools Athletics competition held at Diyagama yesterday. Gateway College Colombo has lodged an official protest signed by their Head of Sports Maj. Gen Upali Bandarathillake, while Ladies College Colombo too, has lodged a protest regarding the matter.

Dilmi, who is an up and coming young sprinter hailing from Yashodara BV, won many school all island titles last year, she won the 400m at the John Tarbet Junior Championship as well as the All Island School Games competing in the Under-15 category.

But surprising many, she competed for Lyceum International School Wattala this year at the ISAC along with another bunch of athletes who excelled in the schools’ sports arena for other schools during last year, which Ceylon Today revealed about in the article titled ‘Hiring athletes for ISAC is new trend’ dated 27 February this year, where Lyceum Wattala had absorbed as many as 32 athletes from government schools aiming for a higher medal count and the championship at ISAC.

Now Dilmi has returned to her original school for the divisional competition yesterday, which is the first phase of the All Island School Games, after she won two golds and one bronze medal accumulating 28 points and secured the joint champion title in the Under-17 girls’ category at the ISAC for Lyceum Wattala.

When contacted Sunil Jayaweera, the Special Consultant of the Education Minister said there’s no regulation allowing Dilmi to compete for her previous school as she had already got leave from Yashodara and gained admission to Lyceum Wattala and allowing her to compete in the divisional competitions is totally illegal.
According to schools’ sports regulation clause 1.3.2 says an athlete who changed their school cannot represent their new school for a year without the no objection letter from principal/s of their previous school/s. Nevertheless regulations do not specify whether they can represent their previous school during that year or not.