National shuttlers ready for six-day battle

The 40th National Badminton Championship smashes into action on Friday in Dhaka, bringing over 600 shuttlers to the Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Indoor Stadium for a massive six-day showdown.

With 88 teams locked in, the men's bracket is blown wide open. Defending champion Khandokar Abdus Soad is sidelined by injury, clearing the runway for last year's runner-up, Bangladesh Army's Al Amin Zumar. The women's draw, meanwhile, remains an Army stronghold, spearheaded by defending champion Nasima Khatun and runner-up Urmi Akter.

Yet, the tournament's gender gap is glaring, 535 men will take the courts compared to just 81 women. That disparity bleeds directly into the TK10 lakh prize pool. Men's singles and doubles champions will pocket Tk1 lakh 40 thousand taka (runners-up earning Tk1 lakh), while women's and mixed doubles winners take home Tk1 lakh (runners-up claiming 60,000).

Federation joint secretary Elina Sultana addressed the divide, “Women’s participation usually stays around the hundred mark. For a long time, there was no prize money... I hope men and women will receive equal amounts in the future, although there is still a difference in the international arena as well.”

Off the court, this event faces a familiar opponent: venue conditions. The National Sports Council just overhauled the lighting, but players will still sweat out the cooling issues. “The AC problem is an old one; we need central air conditioning,” admitted federation general secretary Kazi Hasibur Rahman Shakil, noting a promised government fix before December's Yonex International.

Reflecting on the sheer scale of the event, Shakil added, “I am not sure if such a large number of competitors has ever taken part before. The lion's share of the cost is going towards the players' accommodation and shuttlecocks.”

Whoever dominates by 28 October won't just lift a trophy—the Player of the Tournament rides off on a sponsor-provided electric bike. Acknowledging the obvious off-court injury risks for athletes, Shakil kept it grounded: “There is a fear of reckless speeding, and we will warn the player about it.”