Bangladesh Aims for Both Presidency and Medals in Asian Archery

Archery in Bangladesh is still a relatively young sport, but in a short period, it has already achieved significant success on the international stage. Archers Roman Sana and Sagar Islam secured direct qualification for the Tokyo and Paris Olympics. Despite these successes, officials from the Bangladesh Archery Federation are proceeding cautiously regarding the upcoming Asian Archery Championships in Dhaka.

Kazi Rajib Uddin Ahmed Chappal, the founding General Secretary of the Bangladesh Archery Federation, has expressed optimism about the country’s chances for medals. He remarked, “Of course, we hope for medals. But we won’t make any promises. Archery is a game that requires full concentration, so anything can happen. Our preparations have been good, and we are hopeful. We won a silver last time, and we are aiming for something good again this time.”

The 24th Asian Archery Championship will take place in Dhaka from 8-14 November, with archers from 30 countries across Asia participating. The Teer Group, which has supported archery in Bangladesh since 2017, is the main sponsor of the tournament. While political tensions have prevented India’s cricket and women’s U-20 teams from visiting Bangladesh, Indian archers will still be taking part. Along with strong teams from Korea, China, and Iran, archers from conflict-ridden countries like Palestine and Syria will also compete in Bangladesh.

The Chairman of the Organising Committee for the Asian Archery Championship stated, “Over 200 archers have registered so far. We will continue accepting registrations until tomorrow. After that, no further additions will be possible. We are also providing necessary assistance to the archers from Palestine and Syria. Many Olympian archers will be participating in both the men’s and women’s categories.”

Roman Sana has been a prominent figure in promoting Bangladesh’s archery internationally. Due to financial uncertainty, he and his wife Diya Siddiqui have relocated to the United States. Although the Federation has demonstrated organisational capability in hosting the Asian Archery Championship, the financial support for archers has not improved significantly. Tanveer Ahmed, the current General Secretary of the Federation, acknowledged, “Most archers are associated with some government or private institutions, from which they earn a living. Nonetheless, the Federation provides them with honorariums.”

The Bangladesh Archery Federation is relatively self-sufficient compared to some other sports federations. Despite their success in various competitions, formal financial rewards are often lacking. Questions regarding the financial reward policies for different tournaments or games remain unanswered.

The Asian Archery Championship will be held at the National Stadium in Dhaka from 8-14 November, with the National Sports Council having allocated the stadium six months ago. Due to a scheduling conflict with the Bangladesh-Nepal match on 13 November, some of the medal events will now be held at the Army Stadium on 13-14 November. The President of the Federation, Mokhlesur Rahman, a former Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration and currently a member of the Planning Commission, commented on the venue issue, “There has been a lot of discussion about this. I do not want to spread negativity by commenting further. I have instructed the General Secretary to coordinate better in the future.”

In addition to the Championship, the Asian Archery Congress will also take place in Dhaka. The presidential candidate for the Congress is Kazi Rajib Uddin Ahmed Chappal from Bangladesh, who will be competing against the current President, Yoo-Sun Chung, CEO of Hyundai Motor Group in Korea. Chappal, an experienced organiser with strong ties across Asia, is hopeful of winning, saying, “I have been working in archery for a long time, and we have good relations with many Asian countries. With your blessings, Insha’Allah, something positive will happen.”

Kazi Rajib Uddin Ahmed Chappal has served two terms as the first Vice-President of the Asian Archery Federation. In addition to his work in Bangladesh, he has contributed to the development of archery in other Asian countries and has served as an advisor to archery federations in several countries across Asia.

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