Showpiece event without spectators!

The competition round of the 20th Asian Archery Championships got underway yesterday at the Bangabandhu National Stadium with the participation of record 33 nations, but the biggest show of bows and arrows in Asia is being held without any spectators.

Spectators are considered as an inspiration for athletes in any sport, but spectators have so far been forbidden from watching the performance of world-class archers at home on the first day of the competition.

Yesterday, only one gate [VVIP-1] was open for the participants, officials and media personnel who have accreditation cards, so no spectators had the right to enter the country's premier venue.

“I had to convince the security guards in order to get here [the room of BNS administrator] as I have no accreditation card,” said Jahangir Alam, administrator of Shaheed Mostafa Kamal Stadium, who had come to meet BNS administrator Mobarak Karim Liton.

“Initially there was a decision to keep two gates open but the organisers instructed me to keep the VVIP-1 gate open, and I did it according to their instruction,” Liton said when asked why the all gates were kept closed.

Bangladesh Archery Federation's general secretary Razib Uddin Ahmed Chapal however said that they have kept the gates closed to ensure security but they have a plan to keep a few gates open from today.

“Spectators are not expected to be big in archery, so we have kept only one gate open to control everything and those willing to watch the championship will be allowed entry after a check through the metal gate,” Chapal said. “However, we have a plan to keep a few gates open from tomorrow.”