Sri Lankan athletes Niduki Prarthana and Ayesha Sewwandi, have voiced deep disappointment after missing the chance to compete in the women’s U18 1500m event at the 2025 Asian Youth Athletics Championships due to a reporting error by team officials.

The duo, seen as medal contenders, were disqualified after failing to report on time for the first call, which they claim was miscommunicated by the accompanying officials.

“This is our first tour. We got fed up and thought we didn’t need to do this sport,” they told reporters upon returning home, expressing frustration and heartbreak over the incident.

Despite this setback, Sri Lanka managed to secure 1 gold, 3 silver, and 4 bronze medals at the Championships held in Saudi Arabia.