Koko Summer Athletics meet targets revival

Bangladesh will look to breathe new life into its struggling track and field scene when the Koko 18th National Summer Athletics Competition-2026 begins at the National Stadium in Dhaka from 23 to 25 October.

Named after the late sports organiser Arafat Rahman Koko, the three-day meet will make history on Friday when President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir opens the event the first time a head of state will inaugurate the national athletics championship. State Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque will join the 4:00pm ceremony as a special guest.

BAF President Mohammad Abdullah Jaber said the President agreed to open the meet to inspire the sporting arena. Having recently inspected the athletes in training with the general secretary, Jaber expressed strong confidence.

"We are 100% ready and want to deliver a successful event," Jaber said. "Just a while ago, we went to the track to check on the athletes. They are preparing really well and will be able to show some good results in this meet."

The ad-hoc committee views the championship as the main stage to scout talent for the South Asian Games, Asian Games, and Olympics. Following the meet, the federation will launch a 13-district talent hunt starting in December in Lakshmipur and Jashore, before moving to the Chattogram Hill Tracts to find naturally strong athletes.

However, Jaber noted that lacking its own residential camp, gym, and therapy centre since 1972 remains the federation's biggest hurdle.

"Without these, whatever we say is just like daydreaming," Jaber said. "However, we have requested the State Minister for Sports, and he has verbally assured us of full support to set up a camp and a gym."

Alongside opening a temporary stadium camp and gym this year, the BAF plans to build a four- or five-storey complex near the Volleyball Federation to house, train, and school grassroots athletes aged 12 to 18. Jaber believes this scientific approach will restore Bangladesh's 1980s and 1990s SAF Games gold-winning glory and improve on the recent Asian Games, where the country sent just two athletes and finished 35th or 36th while a culturally similar neighbour made the top ten.

General Secretary Ali Imam Tapan added that the BAF is pushing for a separate athletics stadium and AstroTurf tracks in eight divisions, noting that Koko's branding has drawn support from the media, BCB, BFF, and Hockey Federation.

"Athletics is the master game of the Olympics," Tapan said. "To move sports forward, we must bring a complete change to athletics."