Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast”: Prof. Geoff Dickson Inspires Governance Reform in Sri Lankan Sports

Colombo, 11 November 2025 – The National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOCSL) successfully conducted a workshop and interactive session on “Strengthening Good Governance in Sri Lankan Sports Organizations” at its headquarters in Colombo, featuring an inspiring keynote by Professor Geoffrey Dickson of La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. The session brought together presidents, secretaries, and representatives of National Sports Federations, alongside officials from the Ministry of Sports and Ministry of Education, to explore how good governance and a culture of integrity can drive long-term success in Sri Lankan sport. The event was also graced by Vice President of NOCSL, Ms. Niloo Jayatilake and Senior Lecturer at the University of Kelaniya, Ms. Anoma Ratnayaka, among other distinguished guests.

Welcoming participants, Treasurer of NOCSL and Chairperson of the NOCSL Education Committee, Mr. Prithiviraj Perera, highlighted the timeliness of the event, noting that the country’s sporting bodies face governance challenges that have even affected international funding. "This is the moment to rebuild capacities through appropriate stakeholdings and partnerships and ensuring transparency and accountability in governance,” he said, urging collaboration among federations, government agencies, and the NOCSL.

Drawing from Australian best practices, Prof. Dickson emphasized that true governance reform requires more than compliance; it demands cultural transformation. He explored models from the Australian Sports Commission, highlighting principles of independence, accountability, board renewal, and transparency, while commending Sri Lanka’s National Sports Associations Regulations No. 01 of 2025 as a positive step.

“Governance reform provides the rules for good decision-making, but culture gives those rules life,” Prof. Dickson remarked, underlining that organizational culture determines whether governance reform succeeds. He also cited the roles of the Federal (central) and State Governments in providing the enabling environments for the clubs and communities to strive towards building a sporting culture as appropriate for the particular state or province through multi sports involvements. He reckoned that strengthening governance capacities and high level coaching competences could contribute to enhancing governance, as also, athletes  performances

Adding further depth to the discussion, Prof. Dickson, an internationally recognized scholar in sport management and governance, brings over two decades of research and advisory experience. As an Associate Professor at La Trobe University’s Centre for Sport and Social Impact, he has collaborated with the Australian Olympic Committee, Sport Australia, and numerous National Sporting Organizations. His work focuses on governance, integrity, and the role of culture in high-performance sport, and he has published extensively in leading international journals and conferences.

The initiative reflects NOCSL’s continuing mission to guide Sri Lanka’s sporting bodies toward professionalism, accountability, and the Olympic values of excellence and fair play.

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