Sri Lankan sprinter Yupun Abeykoon has denied allegations that he demanded $300,000 from the government to continue representing Sri Lanka as an athlete. He says the request is related to unpaid arrears and long-term commitments promised by previous governments.
Yupun Abeykoon is responding to a recent statement by Sports Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage. He says the amount is related to payments that were due to him and his support team over the years, including arrears up to 2021.
“I did not ask for $300,000 as a condition for continuing to compete. The request was based on promises made by previous ministers and discussions that took place over many years. All of this is documented,” he said.
Yupun says that all he did was request the Sports Minister to intervene to resolve this issue that has been unresolved for more than four years.
Following Yupun Abeykoon’s recent decision to retire from athletics, the Sports Minister said that the government was unable to provide the $300,000 requested by Yupun Abeykoon.
Yupun Abeykoon stresses that he deeply regrets the minister’s statement and that despite the opportunity to compete for another country, he has always prioritized representing Sri Lanka.
He said that despite the opportunity to easily obtain Italian citizenship, he chose to represent Sri Lanka and proudly hoisted the Sri Lankan flag on the international stage.