Sports bodies reeling from the changeover

While the July Uprising has ushered in a new era in Bangladesh, leading to promising reforms in different sectors, the immediate impact of the changeover on the sporting landscape has not been positive.
With high-ups of 45 national sports federations either in hiding or removed by the interim government, most federations are struggling to continue daily activities, let alone hold tournaments or send athletes abroad.
In order to carry out reforms, the Ministry of Youth and Sports formed a five-member Search Committee in late August and asked it to submit its recommendations to reform the country’s sports within two months. However, the committee is yet to make any visible headway in reforms or provide guidelines to federations, which have been orphaned as a consequence of the post-Uprising turmoil.
Apart from Bangladesh Cricket Board, which had an amicable changeup of key personnel, and Bangladesh Football Federation, which has largely been kept out of the government’s interference, other sports federations have been dilapidated due to the change of power, and are left looking towards the Search Committee for decisions and guidelines.
Office bearers of some major federations have pointed out two factors creating roadblocks in carrying out their scheduled events: financial issues arising from the absence of signatories and a lack of decisions from authorised committees.
With general secretary Abdur Rokib Montu, a former assistant attorney general of the Awami League government and a central committee member of the Awami Jubo League, resigning from his post in the third week of August, and the removal of president Tofazzal Hossain Miah — also a principal secretary of the Awami League government — on September 10, the Bangladesh Athletics Federation (BAF) is struggling to perform daily activities due to a lack of funds and the absence of signatories.
“We had been running a national camp at BKSP since June but were forced to stop it on August 21 due to the shortage of money. We also postponed October’s scheduled Summer Athletics meet,” said executive committee member Farukul Islam, who previously served as the federation’s general secretary for two terms.
The BAF official also mentioned that a proposed junior camp has been postponed, and they are struggling to pay staff salaries due to the absence of bank signatories, adding that he suggested the Search Committee form an ad-hoc committee in athletics.
The activities of Bangladesh Swimming Federation (BSF) were halted briefly due to the absence of its general secretary MB Saif, also secretary of Gopalganj Jubo League, following the government change. The federation had stopped its BKSP national swimming camp for December’s World Championships in Hungary for three weeks but resumed on October 1 after getting financial assurance from the executive committee on September 17.
Vice-president Abdul Hamid said things have returned to normalcy, with the joint secretary now acting as general secretary, further informing that they are going to organise the national swimming championships from October 9 to 11.
Bangladesh Hockey Federation’s (BHF) activities hit a snag after most of the top brass, including general secretary AKM Mominul Haque Sayeed, a former ward councillor of the Awami League, went into hiding after August 5.
The BHF was supposed to send 20 players to Europe to play in different leagues under technical adviser Gerhard Peter Rach, a move rescinded by the federation later due to the inclusion of a former Jubo League leader.
BHF’s joint secretary Ariful Haque Prince, also a deputy sports secretary of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, said he renewed efforts to send the players to Europe, but that was stopped, adding that the representative of the federation president is currently looking after the federation’s affairs.
However, players are training in BKSP ahead of November’s Men’s and Women’s Youth Hockey Championships.
Bangladesh Shooting Sports Federation (BSSF) general secretary Intekhabul Hamid Apu, the younger brother of former state minister for energy Nasrul Hamid, left the country before August 5 and has not returned since. The discipline has failed to produce good athletes and results in international meets during Apu’s 12-year reign.
With the president also removed, the federation is struggling to continue its camp due to lack of finances, informed Joint Secretary Mustaque Waise, adding that around 14 players have been training under local coaches.
Though the Bangladesh Chess Federation (BCF) president and former IGP Benzir Ahmed quietly left the country months before the government’s ouster, the federation did not face much problem in continuing its activities. The BCF recently sent teams to the 45th Chess Olympiad in Hungary, while rating chess tournaments are being held regularly at home.
Former Dhaka North City Corporation mayor Atiqul Islam had helped make a buzz by organising international tournaments and sending the national team abroad since becoming president in 2015, but his absence and subsequent removal have completely stopped all volleyball-related activities.
The scheduled Asian Senior Men’s Central Zone International Volleyball Championship has been postponed, while the national team’s training camp has been stopped.
Long-serving general secretary Ashiqur Rahman Miku informed that they don’t have a shortage of money, but there are some restrictions from the National Sports Council in using funds at the moment.
DMP Commissioner Habibur Rahman, a long-serving general secretary of the Bangladesh Kabaddi Federation (BKF), was removed on September 1, three days before BKF president and former IGP Abdullah Al Mamun was removed.
During Habibur’s tenure, many domestic and international events were held, but now the federation’s activities have stalled.
Joint secretary Shah Newaj Shohag informed that they have been struggling to withdraw money from banks due to the absence of signatures. On top of that, an army camp at the kabaddi stadium premises has stopped training from taking place.
The BKF official also informed that they have postponed the national kabaddi championship after the completion of upazila level, cancelled the proposed women’s franchise league, while participation in the World Beach Kabaddi in Iran did not get the ministry’s approval.
Bangladesh Archery Federation’s general secretary Kazi Razibuddin Ahmed Chapal said that his office is being run as normal, despite the removal of the president, thanks to “a system built over the years”. Chapal added that they have sent the youth archery team to the Junior Asian Cup in Chinese Taipei and will host the national youth championships from October 17 to 19.
While there are exceptions like archery and chess, which have been some of the few professionally managed sporting federations in the country, most sports bodies are still reeling from the uncertainty and hierarchical void left in the aftermath of the July Uprising. These federations hope that the sporting authorities in general, and the Search Committee in particular, get their hands on deck to restore vibrancy to the country’s sporting landscape.