How the sports federations in Bangladesh are doing after the July-August uprising

On the second floor of Bangabandhu Stadium lies the office of one of Bangladesh's sports governing bodies, commonly referred to as federations.

Entering the small, single-room office, a lone individual was found working on a computer.

While it may be deemed inappropriate to look at someone else's computer screen, curiosity led to a glance at his activity.

Surprisingly, his work was unrelated to sports or the federation. Instead, he was selecting models for an advertisement for his clothing company.

Though this might appear to be an isolated incident, it is a snapshot of the state of many federations at the Bangabandhu Hockey Stadium complex. Following a shift in political leadership, the executive committees of 42 federations were dissolved, along with the removal of their presidents.

Prior to this, three other federation heads were also dismissed. The Ministry of Youth and Sports directed the formation of ad hoc committees, delegating the responsibility to a five-member search committee.

Although the presidents were dismissed on 10 September, it was only on 14 November that ad hoc committees were finalised for nine federations, despite the search committee submitting recommendations to the ministry weeks earlier. The remaining federations remain without leadership, with minimal activity and office presence seemingly their only obligation.

Visits to some of these federations awaiting ad hoc committees revealed irregular attendance among senior officials. Those present were mostly executives or office assistants, whose main duty seemed to be keeping the office open.

While the general secretary positions in these federations remain active, many of the secretaries rarely attend their offices.

One federation official noted, under the condition of anonymity, "The only instruction I have received is to come to the office. What I'm supposed to do here hasn't been clarified. Currently, there are no matches or activities planned, so there's no work. Even the general secretary only visits occasionally and leaves after a short while. We have no updates on when matches or activities will resume."

Ad hoc committees and allegations of tampering

Ad hoc committees have been formed for nine federations: hockey, athletics, chess, kabaddi, bridge, squash, tennis, billiards and snooker, and basketball.

However, this initiative, aimed at reforming the sporting sector, has faced criticism. Allegations suggest alterations to the search committee's proposed list of members. While 80% of the recommended names were retained, changes were made to the remaining 20%.

Notably, the ministry replaced the names proposed for the presidencies of the bridge and kabaddi federations. A general secretary candidate from the search committee's recommendation was also excluded.

There are claims that lobbying influenced the selection of ad hoc committee members.

A member of the search committee told The Business Standard, "After taking responsibility, this was our primary task, and we worked accordingly. We reviewed and carefully considered names before making our recommendations. However, changes were made to some federations' lists, and names were excluded. There were even lobbying efforts to include specific individuals. Such interventions do not bode well for the intended reforms."

Aminul Islam, Secretary of the National Sports Council (NSC), denied these allegations, stating he had no knowledge of the search committee's activities or the complaints filed. "I am unaware of what the search committee submitted or what complaints were raised. I have no information on these matters," he said in January after taking on his role. The Deputy Youth and Sports Advisor, Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, declined to comment despite multiple attempts to contact him.

Future committees and financial accountability

Ten more federations are expected to receive ad hoc committees soon. The search committee is scheduled to meet on Saturday to finalise the names for these committees, which are expected to include 15–19 members, retaining 65% of the previous committee officials.

Search committee members are hopeful that there will be no further interference or name changes for these remaining federations.

In an effort to ensure financial accountability, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has requested annual financial reports from all federations. Some federations have failed to submit these reports, leading the NSC to halt their funding.

Addressing these issues, the Youth and Sports Advisor recently commented, "We are addressing complaints about various committees and taking corrective measures. Where there is stagnation, we are forming new committees to resolve crises. We have asked federations to submit their annual accounts. Journalists can also question them on these matters."

The current state of many sports federations in Bangladesh paints a bleak picture, with inactivity, alleged interference, and lack of accountability hampering progress and reform.