The Colombo Gymkhana Club is a social club for men in

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo m ...

, Sri Lanka. It also owns and administers the

Colombo Cricket Club The Colombo Cricket Club (CCC) is a first-class cricket club in Sri Lanka. It is the oldest in the country, having been formed in 1863, and is headquartered at 31 Maitland Crescent, Colombo 7, close to the headquarters of Sri Lanka Cricket. Hi ...

, the

Colombo Hockey and Football Club Colombo Hockey and Football Club (also known as CH & FC) is a Division 'A' rugby union team based in Colombo, Sri Lanka that competes in the Dialog Rugby League in Sri Lanka. History The Colombo Football Club was established in 1879, playing ...

and the Queen's Club, as well as the Colombo Cricket Club Ground.

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

(established informally in 1832; formally in 1863), the

(established in 1892), and the Queen's Club (

squash Squash may refer to: Sports * Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets * Squash (professional wrestling), an extremely one-sided match in professional wrestling * Squash tennis, a game similar to squash but pla ...

and

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

; established in 1899). Until 1964, the social club was exclusive to Europeans (the cricket club having had a similar policy until 1962)- the first Sri Lankan Chairman of the Gymkhana Club was P.S.C. Fernando, while the sporting clubs saw their first local captains in the 1970s: *

: Travis Fernando (1971) * CH&FC,

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

: Bryan Baptist (1971) * CH&FC,

hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

S. Gajendran (1972)

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

References

{{Authority control Sport in Colombo 1863 establishments in Ceylon Clubs and societies in Sri Lanka Organizations established in 1863