Dr. Forqan Uddin Ahmed :
Fifty years of our victory: What has Bangladesh achieved in the field of sports? Ha-du-du, popularly known as Kabaddi is Bangladesh’s national sport. There has been some significant international success in Kabaddi. Cricket has overtaken Football as the most popular sport in the country in the last two decades, despite Football being the most popular for the first three decades following independence. Cricket has become the national thing in Bangladesh as a result of its international success. In team sports, field hockey also has had some success.
Besides, Bangladeshi athletes have achieved international success in individual sports. Here are some of Bangladesh’s noteworthy international sporting accomplishments. Bangladesh’s greatest achievements in Kabaddi were in the World Cups in 2004 and 2007. They came in third place in both tournaments. Apart from that, Bangladesh won silver at the Asian Games in 1990, 1994, and 2002. Football is now Bangladesh’s second-most popular sport, after only Cricket. The majority of Bangladesh’s men’s Football success in the last five decades came in the 1980s and 1990s. However, the Bangladesh Women’s Football team has made significant improvements in recent years.
Some notable achievements in both men’s and women’s Football in Bangladesh have been stated here. The greatest success of Bangladesh’s men’s national Football team was winning the SAFF Championship in 2003. The national team also won a gold medal in the 2010 South Asian Games. Besides, Bangladesh also won the President’s Gold Cup in 1989 and the four nations Tiger Trophy in 1995. Women’s Football in recent years, the Bangladesh Women’s national Football team has had more success than the Bangladesh Men’s national Football team. Bangladesh’s women’s team took silver in the 2016 SAFF Women’s Championship and bronze in the 2010 and 2016 South Asian Games. Field hockey was one of Bangladesh’s most popular sports In the 1980s and 1990s, but it faded away as a result of poor international performance. Bangladesh’s national men’s hockey team won bronze medals in the 1995, 2010, and 2016 South Asian Games. Apart from that, one of the greatest achievements for the national team was coming fifth in the 1982 Asia Cup. Cricket After winning the 1997 ICC Trophy in Kuala Lumpur, Cricket has eclipsed all other sports in Bangladesh in terms of popularity. After winning the competition, Bangladesh qualified for the 1999 ICC One-Day International World Cup. Since then, Bangladesh has participated in all of the main ICC competitions on a regular basis. On the other side, Bangladesh’s women’s team recently qualified for the ICC ODI World Cup 2022.
Here are some important achievements in Bangladeshi Cricket, both men’s and women’s. Men’s Cricket has been Bangladesh’s most significant sporting achievement. Bangladesh’s Cricket team was awarded Test status in 2000, and they have since defeated some of the world’s best teams in the format. The two biggest Test victories for Bangladesh’s men’s national team came against England in 2016 and Australia in 2017. Bangladesh’s greatest performance in any ICC event was reaching the semifinals of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy. Apart from that, Bangladesh was runner-up in the 2012, 2016, and 2018 Asia Cup. The women’s national team of Bangladesh stunned the world by winning the Asia Cup 2018 in Malaysia. They defeated a strong Indian side by three wickets in the final. The Women’s team rose to prominence after winning the Asia Cup, and they have continued to make improvements since then. They also took home a gold medal at the South Asian Games in 2019. The women’s team has won a number of bilateral series against some of the world’s best teams. The ICC granted Bangladesh’s women’s team full Test and ODI status in April 2021.
The following are the suggestions and recommendations to make sports vibrant, especially for betterment of Cricket and Football team. District level competitions should be organized at least for three young groups. Minor up to age of 13, junior team up to age of 16 and senior up to age of 19. The players should be selected in each age group out of district teams for the divisional teams and those teams should play amongst same age groups. In the process of talent hunting. Players could be picked up and sent to BKSP for extensive coaching. BKSP should be involved in various ways to train the players. Moreover, School and colleges also should have teams in the district level and organize completions within themselves.
There should be Inter School competitions and district and divisional level teams to have competitions within junior senior groups. We must plan to send our young talented players in different sports academies and training institutions in Australia, South Africa and England who have different training academies. Bangladesh could always send some young players there on regular basis. Every Cricket team had its ups and downs. If the team like New Zealand, West Indies and Sri Lanka could make it why should not we be able to succeed?
(The write id former Deputy Director General, Bangladesh Ansar & VDP)
