Four athletes to fly Bangladesh flag

After an eight-year wait, the Youth Olympic Games return this month as Dakar makes history, and Bangladesh will be on the starting line with a compact four-athlete squad looking to test themselves on the global stage.

Bangladesh will compete across three disciplines: Athletics, Boxing, and Swimming, relying entirely on universality wild cards after none of youngsters secured direct qualification.

"Actually, fewer athletes are going this time because we are travelling on wild cards none of our athletes qualified directly," Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) secretary general Jubaidur Rahman Rana said. "The organisers give every country a chance to take part, which they call a wild card quota. Outside those who qualify, everyone gets an opportunity to be involved, and we are participating in three events under that quota."

The landmark tournament, running from 31 October to 13 November, marks the first time an Olympic competition will take place on African soil. Around 2,700 young athletes representing 205 National Olympic Committees alongside a Refugee Olympic Team will battle across 153 medal events in 25 sports. Traditional crowd favourites like athletics and rugby sevens will share the spotlight with fast-paced additions such as baseball5, skateboarding, and wushu across eight venues in Dakar, Diamniadio, and the coastal beach town of Saly.

Sprinter Md. Shipon Mia will represent Bangladesh on the track, guided by team official Md. Abdullah Hel Kafi. In the ring, boxer Noyon Tripura Jani steps up alongside team official Md. Al Amin, while swimmers Md Abdul Ajime and Maisha Akter Mim dive into the pool under the guidance of team official Md Abul Hossain Dhali.

Chef de mission Md. Doulutuzzaman Khan leads the overall 10-member delegation, joined by NOC guest Qamrul Islam and additional team official Rashed Md. Ahmed Shams.

The reduced squad marks a clear shift from recent tournaments. Bangladesh made their Youth Olympic debut at the inaugural Singapore 2010 Games with six athletes in archery, shooting, and swimming, where shooter Sadia Sultana had the honour of carrying the national flag. The country significantly expanded its presence to 13 competitors at both Nanjing 2014 and Buenos Aires 2018, anchored by the qualification of their boys' hockey 5s team, who went toe-to-toe with giants such as Australia and Spain alongside entries in shooting, archery, weightlifting, and swimming.

While Bangladesh are still searching for their first medal at the Youth Games, the long-awaited return of the event after eight years gives their rising prospects a rare and vital test against the world's best.