Bangladesh eyes glory in three major events

Bangladesh is set to continue its presence on the Asian and Commonwealth sports stage this year, sending athletes to three major international tournaments.

Despite limited success, the country remains committed to showcasing its talent across multiple disciplines.

The first stop is the Asian Beach Games, scheduled from 22-30 April in Sanya, Hainan Province, China. Bangladesh will compete in six disciplines: kabaddi, swimming, wrestling, athletics, volleyball, and handball.

The Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) recently approved the team budget during its Sunday meeting.

A total of 38 athletes, coaches, and officials will represent the nation.

The delegation includes one male swimmer and a coach, six male and female kabaddi players with three coaches and officials, two male wrestlers with one coach, one male and one female athlete with a coach in athletics, two male volleyball players with a coach, and a 10-member male handball team accompanied by two officials.

Training camps are already underway at various locations. Handball, kabaddi, and wrestling are preparing at Paltan Outer Stadium, athletics is training at the Three Hundred Feet area, volleyball is at Shaheed Nur Hossain National Volleyball Stadium, and the swimming federation will begin sessions in the coming days.

Looking ahead, the 23rd Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, from July-August will see Bangladesh competing in athletics, boxing, gymnastics, swimming, and weightlifting.

Meanwhile, a large delegation of 202 athletes across 26 disciplines is being prepared for the Asian Games in Japan this September-October.

This move marks a shift in responsibility, as the BOA now fully oversees training, participation, and organisation for both domestic and international multi-sports events, a role previously handled by the National Sports Council (NSC), which faced funding-related disruptions during past games.