A widespread malaise
The hasty exit of the Bangladesh national swimming team’s Japanese coach Takeo Inoki because of the punishment he witnessed being meted out to junior swimmers has forced the authorities to identify a new way to penalise rule-breakers during training camps.
Slapping athletes who have broken rules with extra exercise or training so that they correct their ways is an age-old punitive method in Bangladesh. Proponents of this line of thinking say that it also achieves the effect of sending a clear message to other athletes.
One such incident involving junior swimmers during a talent hunt at the Syed Nazrul Islam Swimming Complex in Mirpur on Sunday forced Inoki to part ways with the Bangladesh Swimming Federation (BSF), sparking a debate on the correct way to discipline athletes.
What actually took place
Some 40 young swimmers aged between 11 and 20, who were picked through a six-month talent hunt programme jointly organised by BSF and Bangladesh Navy in the hope of finding some quality swimmers for the South Asian Games, have been undergoing long-term training since late 2017. The use of mobile phones is strictly prohibited for swimmers residing in the camp but Sharifa Akter Mim of the U-15 age group violated the rule. She was caught with a phone and the junior team’s coaches made her do additional training under the burning sun and unable to stand the heat, she fainted. was also conducting training of the senior swimmers. Inoki, conducting a training session of the senior team, was outraged by the harsh punishment being meted out and quit his job before leaving Bangladesh the same day.
“Junior national team coaches and officials decided to give all junior national team swimmers punishments by giving meaningless physical exercise under the strong sun with nearly 40 degrees outdoor temperatures. All swimmers required to wear long sleeve and long pants tracksuit during the punishments which included running, front summersault on hard tiled floor, rolling around on hard tiled floor, frog jumps on hard tiled floor and more,” Inoki said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
“I felt it was important for me to show that I really mean zero tolerance to organisations or individuals who give physical abuse/punishments and any harassment to the swimmers. I hope this sad incident would become critical tuning point into building a new competitive swimming organisation and structure in Bangladesh,” stated the veteran coach.
Was it the first time?
Preferring not be named, one veteran swimming coach informed that such punishments are usual practice in swimming during training camps. He also said that some 17 swimmers at the talent hunt were expelled for different disciplinary breaches, apart from poor performance.
“One swimmer named Sumon from Bagherhat was excluded from the long-term training not due to his poor performance but it was his constant rule violations of keeping a mobile device that prompted us to exclude him from the training camp.”
Another coach, who is involved with the junior swimmers’ training and who wished not to be named, said: “They have dealt with such incidents some 15 to 20 times. Initially we warn them two to three times and then we impose punishment by making them do extra training, which also sends a message to other swimmers not to repeat the same mistakes in the training camp.”
Is it a traditional method to rectify the athletes?
This practice is not just prevalent in swimming but is also commonplace in other disciplines, but the punishment varies from coach to coach. Out-of-favour national footballer Ariful Islam, who came under punishment from Brazilian coach Edson Silva Dido, said all footballers and especially the younger ones had to run additional laps around the ground after making mistakes in the national camp in 2009. Seven footballers even walked out of the camp in protest before the Bangladesh Football Federation intervened and sent them back. The defender also mentioned that current coach Jamie Day levied fines if any of the current footballers broke the rules.
South Asian Games gold medal-winning swimmer Shahjahan Ali Rony also claimed that he went was punished similarly several times under a Chinese coach during his student life at BKSP and also during training for the national team under South Korean coach Park Tae Gun.
Former national kabaddi coach Abdul Jalil said that he also found many undisciplined players but made them mend their ways in his own way, without imposing physical punishment. He added that it varied depending on the coach, as not all have the capacity to teach the athletes in the same manner.
Steps taken by BSF
The local game’s governing body formed a three-member probe committee to look into the incident soon after Inoki left Bangladesh, but BSF president. Bangladesh naval admiral AMMM Aurangzeb Chowdhury yesterday instructed the authority concerned to form another four-member committee comprising two high-level officials from the federation and Bangladesh Navy to investigate the incident and the loopholes, then submit a report with recommendations to prevent such incidents in future.
Lt Commander SM Mahadi-Ul-Hasan, who is working as camp commander of the talent hunt programme, said : “We always take constructive measures to correct the swimmers, who are prohibited from using mobile phones in the training camp. We even hold counselling sessions three or four times a week about the dos and don’ts. What I have understood is that there was a misunderstanding with the Japanese coach and he was perhaps emotional and could not take our measures simply. But I think the misunderstanding would have been solved if he gave the federation a chance to clarify matters. We would even have avoided such measures in future if he talked to us,” said Mahadi, adding that Japanese assistance coach Yorikazu Tamayama returned Bangladesh on Wednesday night.
An eye-opener for all
BKSP swimming coach Abdul Kader believes physical punishment can be avoided by warning athletes, counselling them and discussing matters with their respective guardians and former coaches.
“However much talent an athlete has, he will not succeed until he is disciplined,” said Kader, who has been involved with swimming for last 20 years.
Kabaddi coach Jalil said, “A coach is like a guardian, teacher and guide, who can instruct and punish their athletes in order to build a good future, but it is better to avoid any cruel or excessive training.”
BSF joint secretary-cum-coach Abdul Hamid believed that imposing excessive training not only teaches them a lesson but also helps them build their physique.
Most coaches seemed to be motivated by the good intention of correcting wayward athletes, but excessive physical hardships may have a negative impact on the mental health of the athletes. The mental trauma may also lead to them withdrawing into a shell and could also contribute to them leaving the sport they love. The incident, while an unfortunate one, has provided the country a valuable opportunity to introspect and re-examine the methods they use to discipline sportspeople.
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