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Gymnastics’ flame flickers
As there is a huge difference in quality between the local and foreign coaches, we roped in a high-profile coach for a long-term plan.
The BGF president Bashir Ahmed Mamun
ANISUR RAHMAN
When it comes to the country’s gymnastics, Bangladeshi descent Margarita Mamun has perhaps been the lone consolation amid Bangladesh’s never-ending failure in the Olympic Games and, at the same time, she has likely been the sole source of inspiration for the country’s gymnasts.
Mamun had been one of the finest Russian gymnasts to win an Olympic gold medal but Bangladesh are light years away from even securing an Olympic medal.
A dearth of quality gymnasts and lack of infrastructure allow little room for optimism although USA-based gymnast Syque Caesar once had given a glimpse of hope before fading away around eight years ago.
However, the country’s gymnastics has recently hit the headlines following a few age-level international successes in Singapore. The success stories involve an Australian-born Bangladeshi gymnast and the appointment of a high-profile foreign coach.
Since the start of gymnastics in 1972, it has never been a widely practiced sport in Bangladesh compared to any other discipline and has been, more often than not, out of all attention.
Once Dinajpur, Mymensingh, Khulna, Barishal and BUET produced gymnasts to keep the local circuit alive. Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan (BKSP) also came forward by opening the discipline in 1991 but the sport could never hog the spotlight.
And despite being an Olympic discipline, gymnastics has never been included in the SAF (South Asian Federation) Games -- now known as SA Games -- since its inaugural edition in 1984 to the latest one in 2019. Many believe this non-inclusion to be the main reason behind the lack of interest even from the government, who allocates only Tk 12 lakh to the federation per year.
The total number of active gymnasts in Bangladesh is composed of 55 senior players including 17 females, 40 junior players and around 150 age-group players.
The gymnasts also don’t have any permanent venue to practice regularly as the national players practice in the makeshift venue at the National Sports Council gymnasium, which is also used by three disciplines.
However, an unlikely source in Quantum Cosmo School, an educational and sports institute for underprivileged children in Bandarban, gave a ray of hope to the Bangladesh Gymnastics Federation (BGF) by producing quality gymnasts for the past decade or so.
And those gymnasts have already brought some laurels from junior events at the Singapore Open while representing the national team and their success virtually drove the BGF to set a lofty goal of winning the medals in the Asian and Olympics Games.
They also appointed an Olympic gold-winning coach in Cho Sung Dong from Korea.
“As there is a huge difference in quality between the local and foreign coaches, we roped in a high-profile coach for a long-term plan,” the BGF president Bashir Ahmed Mamun told The Daily Star.
“First we want to create some international gymnasts, who can directly qualify for Olympics with their own merit and play the top-eight round because any top-eight gymnast usually has the ability to win a medal.”
In a bid to create a global image of Bangladesh gymnastics, the BGF is also providing support to Australia-born Bangladeshi gymnast Ali Kader Haque in New Zealand. And the 19-year-old is paying back with his progress.
“We are partially helping Ali Kader by bearing some costs of his international participation and his personal coach. By his participation at the international tournaments, the international judges will know the name of Bangladesh and we will not be a victim of the disadvantage that involved Syque Caesar during the Asian Games in 2014, I think,” said Mamun, also a renowned businessman, adding that they need a permanent venue to deliver good results.
Asked if it is possible to shine at the international level with a shortage of gymnasts, the BGF general secretary and former national gymnast Ahmedur Rahman said: “As it is an individual game, one quality player is good enough to get international success.”