Sports-lovers missing out on int’l events at home
Country's sports-loving people were supposed to spend busy time now watching glowing performances of foreign and local players in events scheduled as part of birth centenary celebration of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, but the coronavirus pandemic has put a damper on all the planning, depriving the spectators from the events.
The months of March, April and May were scheduled to be of full of international events in Bangladesh. Two T20I matches involving cricketers from around the globe was the first and perhaps the biggest one to be postponed as coronavirus started to break out in Bangladesh in the second week of March. Subsequently, a number of international events including ones in archery, cycling, golf, hockey, roller skating and volleyball were suspended as the virus spread throughout the country and international travelling was suspended.
Zahid Ahsan Russel, State Minister for Youth and Sports, recently [before Eid-ul-Fitr] told The Daily Star that they are going to scrap most of the invitational international tournaments due to the coronavirus pandemic even though some sports organisers have vowed to hold tournaments which are also part of international calendar.
"Programmes regarding the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman will be trimmed," said Russel, retreating from the original plan of hosting approximately 100 international and local sporting events on this grand occasion.
"We have no alternative but to scrap maximum international tournaments proposed for Mujib Borsho as health and safety is our main priority. Furthermore, foreign participants will possibly not be able to come here due to health concern. Considering these aspects, we guess most international tournaments will be scrapped from our plans," explained Russel.
However, the minister expressed his desire to hold some domestic competitions scheduled as part of the celebrations.
"We will try to hold some domestic competitions when the situation gets normal. Half of the scheduled events were scheduled for March, April and May while the remaining competitions were scheduled for the next nine months. But due to the pandemic, we had to suspend Bangabandhu Bangladesh Games, many international tournaments, local tournaments. We have also suspended an international competition involving intellectually challenged athletes which was scheduled for April," said Russel.
However, some federation likes hockey, volleyball, archery and football want to hold international tournaments to celebrate the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman because those events are also the part of international calendar.
"Bangbandhu Junior Asia Cup hockey is likely to take place in January or February next year, which falls within the timeframe of Mujib Barsho. We have already bought tournament's title name spending a lot of money while the Junior Asia Cup is a qualifying tournament for Word Cup, so there is no scope of cancelling it," Bangladesh Hockey Federation's acting general secretary Mohammad Yousuf said.
"If the situation improves and the government gives us approval, we will hold the Bangabandhu ISSF International Archery Championship in February next year as we have a Feb 22-28 slot available in the international calendar," said Bangladesh Archery Federation's general secretary Kazi Razibuddin Ahmed Chapal.
Bangladesh Volleyball Federation's general secretary Ashiqur Rahman Miku said, "Our plan is to hold the Bangabandhu South and Central Senior Men's Volleyball Championship next year, within the Mujib Barsho calendar, whether or not the government helps us financially."
Bangabandhu SAFF Championship is also scheduled to take place in September in Dhaka, but as the situation deteriorates, it is likely to be deferred by at least a few months.
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