Thirty-one athletes representing the Sri Lanka Karate Federation were forced to return home empty-handed on 2nd of September after failing to secure visas for the 23rd Asian Cadet, Junior, and Under-21 Championships in Shaoguan, China, scheduled from 5th–7th of September .
The team, mostly school students from across the country, had trained for over six weeks and each spent around Rs. 580,000 on airfare, accommodation, and transport.
They arrived at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) three hours before their SriLankan Airlines flight, only to find no federation officials present to facilitate visa arrangements.
Parents expressed frustration, with several noting they had mortgaged property to cover the costs. The athletes waited outside the departure terminal until about 3:00 p.m. before returning to their hometowns.
In response, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports announced a full investigation into the visa and ticketing failures. The Ministry stated that the relevant federation bears full responsibility for ensuring athletes receive visas and air tickets on time and warned that disciplinary action would be taken against those responsible for causing such inconvenience to the players.
