Bangladesh, a nation entwined with rivers, finds itself in the ironic position of being a drowning force in the world of swimming. Despite the aquatic heritage, the sport is floundering, hampered by a dearth of basic facilities. A prime example of this neglect is the electronic scoreboard at the Syed Nazrul Islam Complex in Mirpur, a multi-crore white elephant that remains stubbornly dormant.
With no gas for winter training and electricity issues, the complex is a far cry from a world-class training ground. It's a damning indictment of the nation's sporting priorities that swimmers are forced to rely on hand-timing in this day and age. Such rudimentary conditions make it a Herculean task to produce swimmers capable of competing on the global stage.
Once a regional powerhouse, Bangladesh swimming has experienced a precipitous decline. The glory days of Mosharraf Hossain Khan, a five-time gold medallist at the 1985 Dhaka SAFF Games, seem like a distant memory. The subsequent years have been a barren wasteland of underachievement, with the sole glimmer of hope being Mahfuza Khatun Shila’s double gold at the 2016 Gauhati SA Games.
The stark reality is that Bangladesh's male swimmers are now trailing even mountainous Nepal in the 100m freestyle rankings for the Paris Olympics. It's a humiliating situation for a nation surrounded by water. Swimming, the jewel in the Olympic crown, is a discipline where Bangladesh is forced to rely on wildcard entries. Despite the obvious potential, the sport has been consistently overlooked by sports ministry bureaucrats.
The heart of the problem lies at the helm of the Bangladesh Swimming Federation. For the past year and a half, the general secretary's role has been occupied by a political appointee with no apparent swimming expertise. This contrasts sharply with the 90s, when the federation was led by a former national champion. It's a case of putting the cart before the horse, with questionable leadership stifling the growth of the sport.
Unless there's a radical overhaul, Bangladesh swimming is destined to remain a submerged entity.
