Colombo Gymkhana Club

The Colombo Gymkhana Club is a social club for men in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It also owns and administers the Colombo Cricket Club, the Colombo Hockey and Football Club and the Queen's Club, as well as the Colombo Cricket Club Ground.

The Colombo Gymkhana Club
AbbreviationCGC
PredecessorThe Colombo Club (1832)
Founded atGalle Face Green
PurposeTraditional Gentlemen's Club
Location
Coordinates6.908676°N 79.865711°E / 6.908676; 79.865711
Chairman
Shammi Silva
Secretary
Maj.Tanesh B.Dias
Key people
Kapila Ranasinghe (Treasurer)
SubsidiariesColombo Cricket Club
Colombo Hockey and Football Club
Queen's Club
Websitegymkhanaclub.lk

History

Established in 1863, it was a successor to the original Colombo Club (established in the early 1800s), and by 1899 administered five different sports via their ownership/establishment of the Colombo Cricket Club (established informally in 1832; formally in 1863), the Colombo Hockey and Football Club (established in 1892), and the Queen's Club (squash and tennis; established in 1899).[1][2][3]

Until 1964, the social club was exclusive to Europeans[4] (the cricket club having had a similar policy until 1962[5])- the first Sri Lankan Chairman of the Gymkhana Club was P.S.C. Fernando,[4] while the sporting clubs saw their first local captains in the 1970s:

Controversy

In November 2016, members of the club filed lawsuits against then-chairman Shammi Silva and treasurer Kapila Ranasinghe for breach of trust and breach of contract through violation of the club constitution and the club's land lease agreement with the government, also alleging nepotism and corruption.[6][7] Silva refuted the allegations against him, alleging in turn that the property development agreement in question had been signed during a previous administration, and that he was only seeking to implement it.[6]

The club was also the subject of an Internal Revenue Department investigation and raid in 2016 for alleged tax evasion.[6][7]

References
  1. "The 'Gymkhana' For All Reasons Celebrates Its' [sic] 150 Year Rhapsody". Serendib. Serendib Magazine/SriLankan Airlines. October 2013. Archived from the original on August 31, 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  2. Pathiravithana, S.R. (10 November 2013). "CHOGM, CCC and the cricket legacy". SundayTimes.lk. The Sunday Times Sri Lanka. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  3. Mangan, J.A. (2005). "Imperial Origins: Christian Manliness, Moral Imperatives and Pre-Sri Lankan Playing Fields- Beginnings". In Hong, Fan; Mangan, J.A. (eds.). Sport in Asian Society: Past and present. Taylor & Francis e-Library. ISBN 0-203-49742-2.
  4. "About the Colombo Gymkhana Club". GymkhanaClub.lk. The Colombo Gymkhana Club. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  5. Gunawardena, Charles (2005). Encyclopedia of Sri Lanka (2nd ed.). New Delhi: Sterling Publishers. p. 94. ISBN 9781932705485.
  6. Kannangara, Nirmala. "Scandal Behind Gymkhana Club Deal". TheSundayLeader.lk. Sunday Leader Sri Lanka. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  7. "Gymkhana set to rob government". Dailymirror.lk. Daily Mirror Sri Lanka. 11 November 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
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