Japan’s Nakano takes charge of Bangladesh Table Tennis

Japan’s experienced coach and former table tennis athlete Yutaka Nakano was appointed as head coach on a two-year contract as Bangladesh table tennis took a decisive move to improve international standards for the future.

The appointment was confirmed by the current ad-hoc committee of the Bangladesh Table Tennis Federation (BTTF) on Wednesday, aiming to lift the sport to a higher international standard.

Nakano arrived in Dhaka late on 15 April and was formally received at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport by BTTF vice-president Barrister Wasif Farhan Shayer.

The long-term plan is aligned with major upcoming events, including the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships, Asian Games, Asian Youth Table Tennis Championships, South Asian Junior Table Tennis Championships, and the South Asian Games, the BTTF media release stated.

As part of the roadmap, the top 16 men and as many women from the national rankings will enter the Asian Games selection camp from 18 April.

Nakano is a former Japanese table tennis player who later forged a strong coaching career at the international level.

This marks his second stint in Bangladesh, having previously worked in 2022 with Future Sporting Club, a concern of LabAid.

Before rejoining Bangladesh, he served as a coach at the Samson Dubina Table Tennis Academy in the United States.

BTTF general secretary Captain AM Maksud Ahmed Sonet expressed strong confidence in the appointment.

"We believe Yutaka Nakano’s experience and expertise will take Bangladesh table tennis to a new height and significantly improve our international results," Sonet said.

He added that teams will be selected and trained separately, based on specific international competitions.

Besides, former national champion Saleha Setu has been appointed women’s team coach for the Commonwealth Championships.

The federation announced plans to develop local coaches and appoint specialised coaches across men’s, women’s, boys’ and girls’ categories.

However, officials also cautioned that full implementation of these programmes will largely depend on sustained government and private sponsorship.