BISHWAJIT ROY

Bangladesh sports, as so often before, has passed another mixed year on the field -- fleeting moments of promise overshadowed by structural stagnation off it. Beyond the women’s football team’s stupendous success of qualifying for the upcoming AFC Women’s Asian Cup, there was little that redefined the sporting landscape of the country.

Yes, much has been said about the women footballers who lifted national pride, the renewed curiosity around football following Hamza Choudhury’s arrival, hockey’s tentative return of belief, and cricket’s sporadic flashes of success.

But beneath these sporting narratives lies a far more frustrating reality: as we step into a new year, sports in Bangladesh remains shackled by the same old culture of governance.

It could have been a very different story had initiatives been taken in line with the promises made during the July–August uprising -- a movement that raised hopes of systemic reform across sectors, including sports. Instead, the sporting arena appears to have inherited the same outdated practices that have long stalled its progress.

In an exclusive interview with The Daily Star in September 2024, former youth and sports adviser to the interim government, Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan, openly acknowledged the depth of the problems he faced after assuming office on August 8.

He pointed out that the constitutions governing sports federations desperately needed reform to establish democratic practices and a culture of accountability.

He spoke candidly about syndicates, corruption, political influence and the chronic lack of accountability -- evils that have consistently undermined sports development in Bangladesh.

Sports, he admitted, was no exception to the decay visible across other sectors of the country. Reforming constitutions of sporting bodies, he promised, would be a top priority.

Yet, as another year closes, those much-needed reforms remain a distant dream. There has been plenty of talk about corruption, but hardly any visible initiative or investigation to unearth the truth. Promises were made, but action failed to follow.

Following the political changeover on August 5, 2024, the youth and sports ministry removed presidents of most national sports federations -- excluding cricket, football, hockey, swimming and a few others.

Several general secretaries went into hiding, severely disrupting the functioning of the bodies. On August 29, the ministry formed a five-member search committee tasked with recommending reforms to executive committees, constitutions, election policies and representation in line with the 2018 NSC Act.

The committee, after numerous deadline extensions, worked for nine months, holding over 100 meetings and completing roughly 70 percent of its mandate.

It recommended reforms for more than 50 federations, leading to their dissolution and replacement with ad hoc committees. However, before the process could be completed, the ministry formed yet another committee on June 24, 2025, assigning it to draft a model constitution and redefine policies under the IOC Charter. Its recommendations were finally submitted in December.

In the midst of all this, the NSC instructed ad hoc committees to prepare for elections even before reforms were finalised -- raising serious questions about intent and consistency.

The long-anticipated reform of the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB’s) constitution ended before it even began. While the Bangladesh Football Federation largely remained outside government interference, what unfolded during the BCB elections mirrored old practices and stood in stark contrast to the adviser’s early promises.

By the time Asif Mahmud resigned in December, sports governance was no closer to reform than when he took office. The arena remained stagnant, burdened by indecision and half-measures.

Now, as the country enters a new year with national elections scheduled on February 12, all eyes will be on the incoming government. Whether it can finally deliver genuine reform in sports governance -- where so much potential has long been wasted -- remains to be seen.

For now, hope persists. But hope alone, as history has shown, is never enough.