January

U23 Central Asian Volleyball Championship

• The Sri Lanka Under 23 team was able to win the third place in the Under 23 Central Asian Volleyball Championship held in Bangladesh.

U18 Schools Basketball Championship

• The Under 18 Schools Basketball Championship saw Holy Family Convent bagging the win in the Girls’ category and St. Joseph’s College in the Boys’ category.

FFSL election

• Sri Ranga Jeyaratnam has been elected as the new President of the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) at the 2023 elections at the Sports Ministry Auditorium.

U13 Division 1 Inter-Schools Cricket Tournament

• Royal College, Colombo (A) and St. Peter’s College, Bambalapitiya (A) emerged as joint champions of the Under 13 Division 1 Inter-Schools Cricket Tournament.

SL vs. India bilateral ODI series

• India completed another clean sweep in a bilateral ODI series against Sri Lanka as they beat the visitors by a mammoth record-breaking margin of 318 runs.

FIFA bans FFSL

• FIFA banned the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) from 21 January until further notice. This was confirmed via a circular sent to all member associations on 22 January by FIFA.

National Badminton Championships

• Buwaneka Goonathileka and 16-year-old Ranithma Liyanage won the most prestigious Singles titles in the Open Men’s and Women’s categories respectively, in the 70th National and 38th Junior National Badminton Championships.

ICC T20 Men’s and Women’s teams 

• Wanindu Hasaranga was picked for the ICC T20 Men’s Team of the year 2022 and Inoke Ranaweera was picked for the T20 Women’s team of the year.

February

Sri Lanka women cricketers win in Cape Town 

• Chamari Athapaththu struck 68 to take Sri Lanka to 129 before the spinners, led by Inoka Ranaweera, spun a web around the Proteas batters as the hosts fell short by 3 runs to give Sri Lanka a famous win in the ICC T20 World Cup at the Wanderers in Cape Town. They followed it up with a win against Bangladesh, but two massive defeats against Australia and New Zealand meant they crashed out of the tournament.

2023 Dialog National Netball Championship

• Hatton National Bank (HNB) secured the 2023 Dialog National Netball Championship in dominant fashion, defeating Air Force 29-44 in the final at the Torrington Ground.

Webb Ellis Cup

• The Webb Ellis Cup landed in Sri Lanka for the first time.

Nippon Paint Rugby League 2022/’23

• The kings of rugby in Sri Lanka, Kandy Sports Club, proved themselves yet again as they became unbeaten champions for the eighth consecutive year and lifted their 23rd title in the Nippon Paint Rugby League 2022/’23.

Tiger Paw Invitational Indoor Tournament

• Sri Lankan athlete Ushan Thiwanka, who lives in the US, managed to win first place in the high jump event of the Tiger Paw Invitational Indoor Tournament. 

March

ITTF Para Open Table Tennis Championship

• Dinesh Deshapriya won Gold in the ITTF Para Open Table Tennis (TT) (Class 9) Championship in Giza, Egypt.

43rd Annual Limited Overs Encounter

• Thurstan College registered a 4-wicket win over Isipathana College in the 43rd Annual Limited Overs Encounter, played for the W.A. de Silva Memorial Challenge Trophy at R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, Colombo.

U18 Schools Sevens 2023

• The ‘Green Machine’ of Isipathana College rumbled through in dominant fashion to be crowned cup Champions in the U18 Schools Sevens 2023.

World Test Championship

• Led by Kane Williamson’s expertly-paced 121, New Zealand secured a thrilling last-ball win by 2 wickets at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch to not only beat Sri Lanka but also end their hopes of qualifying for the World Test Championship final.

Battle of the Blues 

• Royal College registered an emphatic 180-run win over S. Thomas’ College on Day 3 of the 144th Battle of the Blues encounter played for the Rt. Hon. D.S. Senanayake Memorial Shield at the SSC Grounds, Colombo.

58th Army Athletic Championship

• Two-time Asian U20 Champion Aruna Darshana won Gold in the Men’s 200 m in the 58th Army Athletic Championship. Darshana recorded a time of 20.64 seconds, surpassing Vinoj Suranjaya’s 20.68 seconds as the fastest time over the distance in Sri Lanka, becoming the second fastest Sri Lankan athlete over the 200 m, behind national record-holder Yupun Abeykoon.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 qualification 

• Sri Lanka failed to secure direct qualification for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 after succumbing to a defeat against New Zealand in the third ODI at Hamilton.

April

National Super League 50-Over Tournament 2023

• Team Dambulla emerged champions of the National Super League 50-Over Tournament 2023 as they defeated Team Jaffna by 5 wickets in the final of the tournament.

U19 Inter-Schools Division 1 Tier ‘A’ Tournament 2022/’23

• St. Joseph’s College, Colombo and Trinity College, Kandy were declared joint Champions of the U19 Inter-Schools Division 1 Tier ‘A’ Two Day Tournament 2022/23.

Rugby Sevens 

• Isipathana College, who missed out on winning the Sevens title last year, came out all guns blazing to beat St. Peter’s College in the cup finals to win the championship.

Sri Lanka Rugby returns as full member of Asia Rugby 

• The Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs officially confirmed the cancellation of the gazette notification dated 1 April 2022. Considering this, Asia Rugby made the decision to reinstate Sri Lanka Rugby as a full member of Asia Rugby.

World School Chess Championships 2023

• Thehas Rithmitha Kiringoda was crowned the U9 Open Champion in the World School Chess Championships 2023 held in Rhodes, Greece.

5th Asian Youth Athletics Championship 2023

• Thushen Silva from Maris Stella College won a medal in pole vault in the fifth Asian Youth Athletics Championship 2023 in Uzbekistan. Silva jumped 4.70 m in the boys’ pole vault event to win the Silver medal. It is also his personal best and he renewed the national youth record.

Prabath Jayasuriya’s 50 wickets 

• Prabath Jayasuriya took 50 wickets in seven Tests to claim the record for reaching the mark in fewer matches than any other spinner.

May

Renown President’s Cup U18 Division I Championship 2022

• Zahira College hammered six goals past Hameed Al Husseinie College in the final to become champions of the Renown President’s Cup U18 Division I Championship 2022 played at the Sugathadasa Stadium.

Sri Lanka-Bangladesh T20

• Sri Lanka women clinched a comfortable 44-run win over the visiting Bangladesh side in the third and final T20I to secure the series.

Shammi Silva for 2023-’25 term

• Shammi Silva was elected as the President of Sri Lanka Cricket for the 2023-2025 term.

June

Asian Junior Athletics Championship

• Sri Lankan athletes Tharushi Karunaratne and Jayeshi Uttara won Silver and Bronze medals in the highly competitive Girls’ 400 m event in the 20th Asian Junior Athletics Championship in South Korea. Karunaratne went on to win the women’s 800 m event and the mixed 4x400 m event.

SL-Afghanistan maiden ODI series 

• Sri Lanka secured their maiden ODI series win over Afghanistan at the Hambantota International Cricket Stadium when they beat the visitors by a comfortable margin of 9 wickets in the series decider.

LI-NING Maldives International Challenge 2023

• Sri Lanka’s star shuttlers Buwaneka Goonathileka and Viren Nettasinghe put up commendable performances against top opponents to clinch the Bronze medal in the Men’s Doubles in the LI-NING Maldives International Challenge 2023 in Malé.

Inaugural LPL player auction

• At the inaugural Lanka Premier League (LPL) player auction, Dilshan Madushanka became the most expensive buy when Jaffna Kings outbid the other four teams to sign him for $ 92,000.

DKM German Karting Seniors Championship Race

• Masterly driving by 15-year-old Sri Lankan Yevan David was the cynosure of the DKM German Karting Seniors Championship Race.

Asian Youth Netball Championship 2023

• Sri Lanka defeated Hong Kong 46-32 to clinch third place in the Asian Youth Netball Championship 2023 at the Jeonju Hwasan Gymnasium in South Korea.

WBC Amazing Muay Thai Festival

• Sri Lanka’s Kasun Gunawardena won a Silver medal in the WBC Amazing Muay Thai Festival held in Venice, Italy.

SL’s first women’s cricket win against New Zealand 

• A century from Chamari Athapaththu paved the way for Sri Lanka as they registered a comfortable 9-wicket win over New Zealand, their first ever against the side in any format, in the first ODI between the teams at the Galle International Cricket Stadium.

July

SL women’s first-ever bilateral series win against NZ

• Chamari Athapaththu produced her fastest century in ODI cricket to take Sri Lanka women to their first-ever bilateral series win against New Zealand as they won the third and final ODI by 8 wickets. She also became the first player from her country to top the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s ODI Player Rankings. 

ICC World Cup Qualifier 2023

• Sri Lanka were crowned champions of the ICC World Cup Qualifier 2023 as they defeated The Netherlands by 128 runs in the final.

World Para Athletics Championship 2023

• Samitha Dulan won a Bronze medal at the World Para Athletics Championship 2023 in Paris, France. The 33-year-old threw a distance of 64.06 metres in the finals of the Men’s Javelin Throw – F46 event to claim third place.

25th Asian Athletics Championship

• Nadeesha Ramanayake won the Gold medal in the 25th Asian Athletics Championship with a timing of 52.61 seconds. This achievement marked both her personal best and the third-best time ever recorded by a Sri Lankan athlete in the event.

Pakistan-Sri Lanka Test series

• Pakistan wrapped up a clinical demolition job of Sri Lanka at the SSC, Colombo, beating them by a margin of an innings and 222 runs in the second Test, cleansweeping the series 2-0 and handing the hosts their biggest defeat.

August

77th Bradby Shield

• Royal College bounced back from a slender 3-point deficit to win the 2nd leg of the 77th Bradby Shield encounter 27 (5T 1C)-17 (2T 2C 1P), locking away the shield at Reid Avenue for another year with an aggregate of 37-30. 

Tharjini Sivalingam retires 

• Sri Lanka’s highest scorer and world-renowned Tharjini Sivalingam announced her retirement from international netball.

Dialog Schools Rugby League

• Unbeaten St. Peter’s College clinched the Dialog Schools Rugby League and the Knockout to dethrone Isipathana College from the school rugby throne.

LPL title to B-Love Kandy

• B-Love Kandy clinched their maiden LPL title, beating Dambulla Aura in the thrilling final.

108th National Tennis Championship

• 14-year-old Dinara de Silva from St. Bridget’s Convent clinched the Women’s Open title in the 108th National Tennis Championship.  

FIFA lifts FFSL ban 

• FIFA decided to lift the suspension placed on the Football Federation of Sri Lanka with immediate effect.

September

Sri Lanka-England T20 series 

• Sri Lanka chased down 116 in the 3rd T20I to clinch an unlikely series win against England at Derby.

Asia Cup 2023 

• Mohammed Siraj produced one of the best-ever bowling performances in ODI history to steamroll Sri Lanka to 50 runs as India won the Asia Cup 2023 final by 10 wickets.

Women’s cricket at Asian Games ’23

• Sri Lanka managed to claim a Silver medal in the Women’s Cricket Competition of the Asian Games 2023, as they went down fighting against India in the final of the tournament in Hangzhou, China.

Danushka Gunathilaka found not guilty 

• Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka, who was accused of raping a woman while in Australia for the T20 World Cup, was found not guilty.

Niluka Karunaratne retires 

• Sri Lanka’s most accomplished shuttle star Niluka Karunaratne announced his retirement from international competitive badminton representing Sri Lanka.

October 

Asian Games 

• Nadeesha Dilhani Lekamge ended the 17-year-old Asian Games athletics medal drought when she secured the Silver medal in Women’s Javelin Throw with a performance of 61.57. 
• Tharushi Karunarathna created history, winning a Gold medal in the women’s 800 m. 

Central Asian Men’s Volleyball Challenge Cup 2023

• Sri Lanka emerged champions of the Central Asian Men’s Volleyball Challenge Cup (CAVA) 2023. 

Summa Navaratnam bids adieu 

• Sri Lankan athletic and rugby legend Summa Navaratnam passed away.

‘Uncle’ Percy’s last cheer

• Sri Lanka’s legendary cheerleader Percy Abeysekera, who is well known as ‘Uncle’ Percy, passed away.

November 

World Rugby Council lifts ban on SLR 

• The World Rugby Council lifted the temporary ban imposed on Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR).

Arjuna heads interim committee 

• Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe appointed an interim committee headed by Arjuna Ranatunga for Sri Lanka Cricket. 

ICC Hall of Fame welcomes Aravinda 

• Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup-winning hero Aravinda de Silva was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. 

ICC suspends Sri Lanka Cricket 

• The International Cricket Council (ICC) Board suspended Sri Lanka Cricket’s membership.