Bangladesh will send a 35-member contingent, including 15 athletes, to the 23rd Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, with officials admitting the country’s main objective is to maintain its place at the event rather than compete for medals.
The Games will run from July 23 to August 2 and feature around 3,000 athletes from 74 nations across 10 sports.
Bangladesh will compete in four disciplines. Athletics will have five representatives, while swimming will feature four athletes. Boxing and gymnastics will each send three competitors.
Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) secretary general Jubaidur Rahman Rana said the country had little choice but to compete.
“We will lose our membership if we do not participate in the Games,” Rana told reporters.
“We had the opportunity to send more athletes but chose not to. You can say this is a token participation.”
The BOA has proposed a budget of Tk 3.90 crore for the campaign. It has allocated Tk 1 crore for training and Tk 2.90 crore for participation costs. Officials are still waiting for government funding.
Bangladesh have won only eight medals since making their Commonwealth Games debut in 1978, including two gold medals. Every medal came in shooting, which does not feature in this year’s programme.
Rana admitted the country’s preparation has not been enough to raise expectations.
“Two and a half months of training is not enough to achieve good results. We need year-round training programmes, and I urge the media to draw the government’s attention to this issue,” he said.
England-based sprinter Imranur Rahman and United States-based boxer Jinnat Ferdous headline Bangladesh’s squad.
The athletics team also includes Shirin Akter, Swapna Khatun, Lushad Islam and Najimul Hossain Roni. Boxers Rakib Hossain and Ruhin Reza complete the boxing squad.
Swimmers Sonia Akter, Kajol Mia and Samiul Islam Rafi will also compete, while Shishir Ahmed, Rajib Chakma and Abu Saeed Rafi will represent Bangladesh in gymnastics.
Athletics coach Farid Ahmed said his athletes will focus on improving their personal best performances. Boxing coach Shafiul Azam remains hopeful of strong displays, while gymnastics team leader Habibur Rahman believes his gymnasts can reach the finals after encouraging performances at the recent Asian Gymnastics Championships.
