The unsuccessful Bangladesh athletes are unlikely to get the chance to take part in future international events if they continue to display poor performances like they had done in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
After spending around Tk20m for 10 disciplines, the 30 athletes from Bangladesh could only manage to clinch one silver medal in the Commonwealth Games. Along with 30 athletes, there were 39 officials in the contingent that went to Scotland. The output of 69 members of the Bangladesh team is just a solitary silver medal. The below-par performance attracted severe criticism in the local sports arena.
Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) president Gen. Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan, who is also the chief-of-staff of Bangladesh Army, did not take it positively. The BOA supremo called on the top officials of the association at his office yesterday and tipped them off to go through a solid selection process before sending the athletes to the Asian Games.
The 17th Asian Games will be held in Incheon, South Korea and will begin on September 19. A 222-member Bangladesh team drafted for 21 disciplines have been preparing for their visit next month but the number is likely to decrease following the disastrous display in the Commonwealth Games.
An emergency meeting of the BOA’s executive committee will be held today where the contingent of the Asian Games will be finalised. Those disciplines that do not stand a chance of producing a win or a medal will be cut off from the list.
The boxing and cycling disciplines were also discussed in yesterday’s meeting. The cycles brought by the Bangladesh athletes in the Commonwealth Games were not appropriate for the tournament. A coach from the Ukraine arrived in Bangladesh earlier this year to train the boxers but the output was disappointing.
