Federations seek BOA ouster through IOC

Officials from several sports federations are preparing to appeal to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), challenging the legitimacy of the Bangladesh Olympic Association’s (BOA) current committee and seeking a fresh election.
They allege that representatives of ad-hoc committees formed under the interim government were made councillors in the BOA election, raising questions about whether the current leadership adequately represents the country’s sports federations. The move has gained momentum following the recent resignations of three BOA officials.
Vice-president Sarwat Siraj Shukla and executive members Syed Rumman Bin Wali Shabbir and Md Habibur Rahman resigned on Tuesday, less than a year after the four-year committee was elected on 30 November, last year.
BOA secretary-general Jubaidur Rahman Rana said the association would act in accordance with its constitution and IOC guidelines after receiving the resignation letters.
“I have received letters from Vice-president Shukla and Jamil. I have just received Mr Shabbir’s letter. Once the positions become vacant, we will take action in line with the constitution and IOC guidelines,” Rana told reporters on Tuesday.
Shabbir, however, argued that the resignations did not provide grounds to dissolve the entire committee. He said the vacant positions should be filled through elections in accordance with the Olympic Charter.
“One or more officials resigning does not mean the BOA committee can be dissolved. Unless all members of the elected committee resign, the committee cannot be dissolved on that basis,” he said to Daily Sun on Wednesday.
Bangladesh Athletics Federation general secretary Ali Imam Tapan is among those questioning the election. He alleged that two members of a search committee formed under the interim government to revise sports federation constitutions had also played roles in forming ad-hoc committees before representatives of those committees entered the BOA leadership.
“The BOA election is questionable. The Olympic Charter calls for active representation in the General Assembly. But most of those currently in the BOA do not represent any federation,” Tapan told Daily Sun.
He added that federation officials were preparing a written appeal to the IOC seeking the dissolution of the current committee and the election of a new one.
On 18 July, the National Sports Council (NSC) replaced the ad-hoc committees of 28 sports federations formed under the interim government with new committees following the formation of a BNP government after the national election. The changes have further fuelled questions about whether BOA councillors continue to represent the federations they were originally associated with.
Tapan also warned that poor coordination between the BOA and the federations could affect preparations for the South Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Peshawar, Pakistan, from 3 to 11 April, 2027.
The dispute has also raised questions about ad-hoc committee representation and the timing of elections in federations still operating under interim arrangements.