Sport In Bangladesh
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Sport in Bangladesh is a popular form of entertainment as well as an essential part of Bangladeshi culture.
Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...
is the most popular sport in
Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mo ...
followed by
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...
. Ha-du-du is the national sport of Bangladesh. Bangladesh is one of the top 10 cricketing nation of the world and have regularly qualified for Cricket World cup since 1999, the Country achieved arguably their greatest heights in Cricket when they defeated three of top-rated teams in
2015 Cricket World Cup The 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup was the 11th Cricket World Cup, a quadrennial One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament contested by men's national teams and organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was jointly hosted by A ...
to qualify for the quarterfinals. In 2015, they white-washed Pakistan and clinched the series by 3-0 and in another major achievement they won a series against India by 2-1 and in the same year they beat South Africa 2–1 in an ODI series and cemented their spot in Champions Trophy 2017. While in football, Bangladesh are only the second team from
South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;; ...
to qualify for the
AFC Asian Cup The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second oldest cont ...
(
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – In ...
). The country's greatest success in football was their 2003 SAFF Championship triumph along with winning gold at the
1999 South Asian Games The 1999 South Asian Games (or 8th SAF Games) were held in Kathmandu, Nepal (for the second time) from 25 September to 4 October 1999. King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev declared the games open amidst a grand ceremony. 1069 athletes of the diffe ...
. Traditional sports like athletics, swimming, ha-du-du, Boli Khela, Lathi Khela are mostly played in the rural areas while foreign sports like
hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...
,
volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...
,
handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the ...
,
golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...
etc. are more popular among the urban folks. The
National Sports Council The National Sports Council (NSC) is the national overseer of the control authorities of 41 different sports in Bangladesh. It is responsible to the Bangladesh Ministry of Youth and Sports and is based in Purana Paltan, Dhaka. History After ...
(NSC) is the governing body to control all the sports federations and councils in the country and is responsible to the ministry of youth and sports. There are a total of 42 different sports federations affiliated with the NSC. '' Bangladesh Games'' is the largest domestic multi-sport tournament in the country where athletes and sports teams from all the districts participate.


Major leagues


Popular sports


Ha-du-du

Ha-du-du is recognized as the national sport in Bangladesh. The sport is played all through the country. Bangladesh has been regularly participating in
Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...
for Ha-du-du. However, the recent rise of other sports has led to the decline in its popularity. Bangladesh was once considered one of the top sides to play against in the world but has now been weakening due to lack of funds and other reasons.


Cricket

Cricket is the most popular sport in the country. Its popularity rose after the national team won the
ICC Trophy The ICC World Cup Qualifier (previously called the ICC Trophy and officially known as the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier) is a One-Day International (ODI) cricket tournament that serves as the culmination of the Cricket World Cup qualif ...
in 1997 and for the first time qualified for the
Cricket World Cup The Cricket World Cup (officially known as ICC Men's Cricket World Cup) is the international championship of One Day International (ODI) cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), ...
in
1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
. In 2000, Bangladesh became a full member of
International Cricket Council The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, its members are 108 national associations, with 12 Full Members and 96 Associate Members. Founded in 1909 as the '' ...
which allowed it to play
Test cricket Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last f ...
. Bangladesh regularly hosts many international One Day matches, Test matches and Twenty20 Internationals. In 2011, Bangladesh hosted the
2011 Cricket World Cup The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and for the first time in Bangladesh. India won the tournament, defeating Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in the final at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai ...
along with India and
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
. Bangladesh was also elected to host the
2014 ICC World Twenty20 The 2014 ICC World Twenty20 was the fifth ICC World Twenty20 competition, an international Twenty20 cricket tournament, that took place in Bangladesh from 16 March to 6 April 2014. It was played in three cities — Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet. ...
.
Bangladesh Cricket Board The Bangladesh Cricket board ( bn, বাংলাদেশ ক্রিকেট বোর্ড; abbreviated as BCB) is the governing body of cricket in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Cricket Board first became an associate member of the Inter ...
is the premier governing body to manage the development of the sport in the country. In 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, Bangladesh beat England and reached the quarter finals for the first time. However, they were knocked out in the quarter final against India. Bangladesh also reached the semifinals of the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017, held in England and Wales, but lost to India again in the semis. The Bangladesh women's team beat India in the 2018 Asia Cup Finals to become only the second team after six-time winners India to lift the trophy. On 9 February 2020, the Bangladesh Under-19 cricket team won the
2020 Under-19 Cricket World Cup The 2020 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup was an international limited-overs cricket tournament that was held in South Africa from 17 January to 9 February 2020. It was the thirteenth edition of the Under-19 Cricket World Cup, and the second to be ...
held in South Africa after beating India in a nail-biting final. This was Bangladesh's first win in an ICC event at any level.


Football

Throughout history,
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...
has been major sport in Bangladesh. During the 70s and 80s, football was the most popular sport in the country, but ever since the downfall in results and cricket's rise in the late 90s, it is now considered to be the second most popular game in Bangladesh. Since the 21st century, it has been under constant neglect from both the government and authorities including the country's football federation, known as
Bangladesh Football Federation Bangladesh Football Federation (, ''Bānlādēśa phuṭabala phēḍārēśana'') is the governing body that administrates the sport of association football in Bangladesh. It is in charge of running the country's men's and women's national tea ...
(BFF). In the past, Bangladesh were an emerging team from Asia but in recent times the standard of Bangladeshi football has degraded due to mismanagement, lack of support and funds. In 1976, Bangladesh became affiliated with
FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
. The mid-eighties saw a surge in support for the three traditional
Dhaka League Dhaka Senior Division Football League, also referred as First Division Football League, is the third tier of football league in Bangladesh. Until 2006, it was the top-tier league of the country. It was established in 1948 as Dhaka League, while B ...
giants Mohammedan SC,
Abahani Krira Chakra Abahani Limited Dhaka ( bn, ঢাকা আবাহনী লিমিটেড), also referred as Dhaka Abahani or Abahani Limited, is a Bangladeshi professional football club based in the Dhanmondi area of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The club curr ...
and
Brothers Union Brothers Union is a football club based in Gopibag, Dhaka. The club was founded in 1949 and the regal business tycoon Kazi Ghiyasuddin Ahmed, better known as K. G. Ahmed served as the founder chairman of the club. At the beginning it was a we ...
, who established massive fan bases all over the country. The most anticipated game in Bangladeshi domestic football is the
Dhaka Derby The Dhaka Derby is a football rivalry between the Dhaka teams of Abahani and Mohammedan, although the rivalry was bigger in the past, it is still considered to be the biggest game in the country's domestic football scene. Mohammedan was founded ...
and during the majority of the 80s, the derby was seen as the biggest sporting event in the country. Since independence, the country has hosted two
AFC AFC may stand for: Organizations * Action for Children, a UK children's charity * AFC Enterprises, the franchisor of Popeye's Chicken and Biscuits * Africa Finance Corporation, a pan-African multilateral development finance institution * A ...
tournament's, the 1978 AFC Youth Championship and the
2006 AFC Challenge Cup The 2006 AFC Challenge Cup was held between 1 and 16 April 2006 in Bangladesh. Sixteen teams were split into four groups, the top two in each group qualifying for the quarterfinals, and from then on a straight knockout contest. There was no quali ...
. The national team's only appearance in the
AFC Asian Cup The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second oldest cont ...
to date was during the
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – In ...
edition, when they became only the second
South Asian South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...
team to qualify for the main tournament. In 1995, the national team won the 4-nation Tiger Trophy in
Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
, which was their first ever major trophy. Even after the decline of domestic football, there are more football tournaments organized in and outside Dhaka than any other sports and football fever grips the nation during every
FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament has ...
. In 2022, the women's team created history by winning the 2022 SAFF Women's Championship, defeating
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
in the final.


Hockey

Hockey has been one of the most popular sports in Bangladesh. It comes right after Cricket and football considering the popularity. However, lack of responsible officials and maladministration has led this sport to decline as well. Bangladesh, even though, regularly participates in the Hockey Asia Cup and also hosted its edition of 1985. The
Bangladesh Hockey Federation The Bangladesh Hockey Federation is the sports governing body, governing body of field hockey in Bangladesh. It is affiliated to IHF International Hockey Federation and AHF Asian Hockey Federation. The headquarters of the federation are in Dhaka, B ...
, the national governing body for the sport, every year organizes some domestic competitions in the country, most notably the Premier Division Hockey League. In 2022 Bangladesh started its first ever franchise hockey league
Hockey Champions Trophy Bangladesh The Hockey Champions Trophy Bangladesh ( bn, হকি চ্যাম্পিয়নস ট্রফি বাংলাদেশ) simply known as HCT Bangladesh and officially as DMCB Hockey Champions Trophy Bangladesh for sponsorship ...
.


Chess

Chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...
is a popular indoor game in Bangladesh and the country has given birth to many talented chess players. Bangladeshi chess player
Niaz Murshed Niaz Murshed ( bn, নিয়াজ মোরশেদ; also Morshed; born May 13, 1966) is a Bangladeshi chess player. In 1987 he became the first South Asian to earn the Grandmaster title. Early life Murshed was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, ...
is the first Grandmaster to emerge from
South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;; ...
in 1987. The Bangladesh Chess Federation has become a member of the
FIDE The International Chess Federation or World Chess Federation, commonly referred to by its French acronym FIDE ( Fédération Internationale des Échecs), is an international organization based in Switzerland that connects the various national c ...
in 1979. Every year it arranges some 15 to 20 tournaments at the national and international levels. The Bangladeshi Chess Championship is the annual individual national chess championship in the country.


Other ball sports


Golf

Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...
has recently seen an increase in its popularity in Bangladesh. The sport was not much notable until
Siddikur Rahman Mohammad Siddikur Rahman ( bn, মোহাম্মদ সিদ্দিকুর রহমান) (born 20 November 1984) is a Bangladeshi professional golfer who plays on the Asian Tour. As an amateur, Siddikur won twelve events in Asia, winn ...
became the first Bangladeshi golfer to win an Asian Tour event at the
Brunei Open The Brunei Open was an Asian Tour golf tournament. The 2005 staging was Brunei's first ever professional golf tournament, and it was won by Terry Pilkadaris of Australia. The event is held at the Jack Nicklaus-designed course at the Empire Hot ...
in
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
. Subsequently, the sport began to get enough media coverage in Bangladesh and also succeeded to acquire sponsors to ensure its financial sufficiency.


Handball

The Bangladesh Handball Federation developed this sport in the country which has been a member of
International Handball Federation The International Handball Federation (IHF) is the administrative and controlling body for handball and beach handball. IHF is responsible for the organisation of handball's major international tournaments, notably the IHF World Men's Handball ...
since 1986. Both men's and women's teams from Bangladesh represent the nation in various international events most notably the
South Asian Games The South Asian Games (SAG or SA Games), formerly known as the South Asian Federation Games (SAFG or SAF Games), is a quadrennial multi-sport event held among the athletes from South Asia. The governing body of these games is South Asia Olympic ...
. In addition, BHF, in assistance with the ministry of education, holds annual inter-school championships for both boys and girls throughout the country.


Volleyball

Volleyball is very popular in Bangladesh and practiced throughout the country but still struggles to have pleasant performance at the international arena. The Bangladesh Volleyball Federation was formed in 1972 and got its affiliation from Fédération Internationale de Volleyball and
Asian Volleyball Confederation The Asian Volleyball Confederation, commonly known by the acronym AVC, is the continental governing body for the sports of indoor, beach, and grass volleyball in Asia and Oceania. It has 65 member associations, mostly located in the Asia-Paci ...
in 1976. So far Bangladesh participated twice in the
Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...
, twice in the Asian Youth Volleyball Championship and thrice in the
Asian Men's Volleyball Championship The Asian Men's Volleyball Championship is an international volleyball competition in Asia and Oceania contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC), the sport's continent governing body. The i ...
. Bangladesh Volleyball Team achieved Runners-up Trophy of International Volleyball Championships held in Pakistan from 28 to 30 January 2009. There are also annual inter-school and national championships for the sport.


Basketball

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
is a popular sport in Bangladesh mostly in the urban areas. The Bangladesh Basketball Federation has been affiliated with
FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word ''amateur'' from its nam ...
since 1978. Bangladesh has never qualified for
Basketball at the Summer Olympics Basketball at the Summer Olympics has been a sport for men consistently since Basketball at the 1936 Summer Olympics, 1936. Prior to its inclusion as a medal sport, basketball was held as a demonstration event in Basketball at the 1904 Summer O ...
or the
FIBA World Championship The FIBA Basketball World Cup, also known as the FIBA World Cup of Basketball or simply the FIBA World Cup, between 1950 and 2010 known as the FIBA World Championship, is an international basketball competition contested by the senior men's nat ...
. The national team's best finish at the
FIBA Asia Championship The FIBA Asia Cup (formerly the FIBA Asia Championship and ABC Championship) is an international basketball tournament which takes place every four years between the men's national teams of Asia and Oceania. Through the 2015 edition, the tourna ...
was 13th in
1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...
. The other notable achievement was winning a bronze at the 2010 South Asian Games.


Rugby

Rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...
is a minor but rapidly growing sport in Bangladesh. The history of rugby in Bangladesh, however, dates back to the 19th century during the
British rule The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was hims ...
when the Europeans used to play the sport in Bangladesh. After the fall of the British dynasty, the sport had little or no presence in the country. However, in 2007, after a long period of dormancy, some Japanese coaches started a youth program. Various schools sent under-12s to the training camp. The Bangladesh Rugby Association, the national governing body for the sport has been training these children in order to start an inter-schools tournament. Bangladesh Rugby association became Bangladesh Rugby Federation Union after got affiliated as Federation. Now, Bangladesh Rugby Federation Union is the member of Bangladesh Olympic Association, National Sports council & Asia Rugby. Bangladesh Rugby has especially raised under Current General Secretary Mr Mousum Ali. Beside, Bangladesh Rugby has specially step up after introducing a Rugby Development Team.


Racquet sport


Squash

Bangladesh shows a bright future in squash, with a flourishing number of tournaments arranged recently, Many promising players is coming up from this country. Recent measures taken by the
government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government i ...
as well as the efforts made by the officials of the Bangladesh Squash Racket Federation have resulted in the growth of popularity of squash in Bangladesh. The Government has proposed to provide a land where the main Federation headquarters will be built. Grameenphone Open Squash Tournament is a major tournament in Bangladesh. Some promising squash players from Bangladesh include Swapan Parvez, Raju Ram, Iman, Tamim, Habbarter Ribhu etc.


Tennis

Tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cov ...
is mostly played in the urban areas of Bangladesh. The Grand Slam tournaments like the US Open, Wimbledon are very popular among the urban people but so far nobody represented the country in a grand slam as very few take the sport professionally. Since 2008, the Bangladesh Tennis Federation has been holding an annual international junior tennis tournament to promote and develop the sport in the country. Bangladesh Davis Cup team made its
Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format. It is described by the organi ...
debut in
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal en ...
. Bangladesh succeeded to reach the semi-finals three years later in Davis Cup 1989 in Asia/Oceania Zone Group II that was held in
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
.


Table tennis

Table tennis has been played in Bangladesh since the 1950s. Although the game is very popular in schools, colleges and universities, tournaments outside educational institutions are not rare. The Bangladesh Table Tennis Federation was created in 1972. The same year it became a member of the Asian and World Table Tennis Federations. Many national and international competitions are held by BTTF as well as some major sponsors. Bangladesh takes part in different international table tennis tournaments and achieved some success too. In 1997, Bangladesh boys' team got the third place in the first junior competition among 12 countries of the
SAARC The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of states in South Asia. Its member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan ...
and
ASEAN ASEAN ( , ), officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, milita ...
regions. Bangladesh also won some medals in South Asian Games. Bangladesh successfully hosted the
Asian Cup Table Tennis Tournament The ITTF–ATTU Asian Cup is an annual table tennis competition held by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) and the Asian Table Tennis Union (ATTU). The first edition was held in 1983. The competition features men's and women's single ...
in 1991. Bangladeshi table tennis player
Zobera Rahman Linu Zobera Rahman Linu is a Bangladeshi table tennis player. She won a record 16 national championships during 1979–2001. She is the recipient of National Sports Awards, Bangladesh National Sports Award (1999) in the table tennis category. Early ...
has won the national table tennis championships in the individual category 16 times, which is the most by any sports-person in any country of the world.


Individual sports


Cycling

The
cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from ...
community is getting bigger with time in Bangladesh. There's South Dhaka Cyclists "SDC", Bangladeshi Cyclists and so many other Cycling groups that help to promote cycling and a healthy lifestyle among all people.


Swimming

Bangladesh is riverine country, having more than 250 rivers flowing through it. Hence swimming has always been a part of the lives of Bangladeshis. Bangladesh has produced a legendary swimmer
Brojen Das Brojen Das (Bengali: ব্রজেন দাস; 9 December 1927 – 1 June 1998) was a Bangladeshi swimmer, who was the first Asian to swim across the English Channel, and the first person to cross it six times. Early life and education ...
, who was the first Asian to swim across the
English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" ( Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), ( Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Ka ...
, and the first person to cross it four times. He is also the only person outside the United Kingdom and Australia to win the title of King of the Channel, from the Channel Swimming Association.


Athletics

Bangladesh has been participating at the
Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
,
Asian games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...
and other multinational competitions for
athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competiti ...
but hasn't really pleased with its performance. Bangladeshi athletes have won some medals at the
South Asian Games The South Asian Games (SAG or SA Games), formerly known as the South Asian Federation Games (SAFG or SAF Games), is a quadrennial multi-sport event held among the athletes from South Asia. The governing body of these games is South Asia Olympic C ...
. The Bangladesh Athletics Federation is the national governing body for athletics. The sport of athletics is a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking.


Shooting

Shooting Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missiles can ...
is a promising sport in Bangladesh. Two gold medals at the
Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...
for Bangladesh came from Shooting. Bangladesh have also won many gold medals at the South Asian Games. Shooting in Bangladesh came to spotlight when
Asif Hossain Khan Mohammad Asif Hossain Khan ( bn, আসিফ হোসেন খান) is a Bangladeshi shooter. He won the gold medal at 2002 Commonwealth Games in 10 m Air Rifle and repeated his success in the 2004 SAF games by winning gold in the same eve ...
clinched the
10 meter air rifle 10 metre air rifle (N.B. For "Meter" in this article – read "Metre") is an International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) shooting event, shot at a bullseye target over a distance of using a calibre air rifle with a maximum weight of . It ...
gold medal in Commonwealth Games in
2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
and repeated his success in South Asian Games in
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
. The
Bangladesh Shooting Sport Federation The Bangladesh Shooting Sport Federation is the national sports federation responsible for promoting and regulating shooting sports in Bangladesh. History The Bangladesh Shooting Sport Federation was founded in 1955 by Lieutenant Colonel Hesamud ...
- BSSF is the governing body for shooting sport in Bangladesh. Now the President of BSSF is Mr. Nazimuddin Chowdhury & Secretary General is Mr. Enthekhabul Hamid for the Period of 2020.


Archery

Archery Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In m ...
is a new but promising sport in Bangladesh. Archery was introduced in Bangladesh in 2000 and the Bangladesh Archery Federation was formed in 2001 and got affiliated with the
World Archery Federation The World Archery Federation (WA, also and formerly known as FITA from the French ''Fédération Internationale de Tir à l'Arc'') is the governing body of the sport of archery. It is based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is composed of 156 nationa ...
in 2003. Having won some gold and silver medals at some multinational Archery championships, Emdadul Haque Milon and
Ruman Shana Mohammad Ruman Shana ( bn, রোমান সানা; born 8 June 1995) is a Bangladeshi archer. He won the bronze medal in recurve single's event of 2019 World Archery Championships and became the first Bangladeshi archer in history to win ...
are the most promising archers in Bangladesh.


Combat sport


Boxing

Boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...
is not very popular in Bangladesh. The
Bangladesh Amateur Boxing Federation Bangladesh Amateur Boxing Federation is the national federation for boxing and is responsible for governing the sport in Bangladesh. Major General Mizanur Rahman Shamim, Director General of Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party, is the current ...
is the controlling board for boxing in Bangladesh. Most of the boxers in Bangladesh emerge from the
Rajshahi Rajshahi ( bn, রাজশাহী, ) is a metropolis, metropolitan city and a major urban, commercial and educational centre of Bangladesh. It is also the administrative seat of the eponymous Rajshahi Division, division and Rajshahi District ...
and
Jessore Jessore ( bn, যশোর, jôshor, ), officially Jashore, is a city of Jessore District situated in Khulna Division. It is situated in the south-western part of Bangladesh. It is the administrative centre (headquarter) of the eponymous district ...
regions. Even though the performance of Bangladeshi boxers at international level has been very poor, the boxers have succeeded to win some gold medals at the South Asian Games.


Butthan

Butthan is a Bangladeshi martial art and an approved combat Sports included by the
National Sports Council The National Sports Council (NSC) is the national overseer of the control authorities of 41 different sports in Bangladesh. It is responsible to the Bangladesh Ministry of Youth and Sports and is based in Purana Paltan, Dhaka. History After ...
(NSC) under Ministry of Youth & Sports, Bangladesh. Butthan is also a system of personal development with the aim to obtain body-mind balance. Its three main pillars are Sports, Self-defense and Well-being. Butthan was founded by Grandmaster Mak Yuree Vajramunee who was selected as one of the top five Superhuman by Discovery channel scientist team. He has many years of training in 40 different martial arts styles.


Karate

Bangladesh has been taking part in various multinational competitions for Karate and has won total seven gold medals at the South Asian Games. In 2010, Bangladesh achieved highest four gold medals from Karate among the all sports event and secured first position in 11th South Asian Games. In 2019, Bangladesh secured three gold medals ranking second after archery in 13th South Asian Games. Md. Hasan Khan, Md Hossain Khan and Syed Nuruzzaman secured first gold medal and made history for Karate in South Asian Games in 2010. The Bangladesh Karate Federation, the national governing body for Karate, holds some annual Karate championships to promote the sport. Bangladesh Karate Do is the most famous among the karate training institutes in Bangladesh.


Taekwondo

The
Bangladesh Taekwondo Federation The Bangladesh Taekwondo Federation is the national federation for Taekwondo and is responsible for governing the sport in Bangladesh. Kazi Morshed Hossain is the president and Mahmudul Islam Rana is the general secretary of the federation. Histor ...
was formed in 1996 and is affiliated with the
World Taekwondo Federation World Taekwondo, called the World Taekwondo Federation until June 2017, is an international federation governing the sport of taekwondo and is a member of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF). The ''World Taekw ...
. Bangladesh Taekwondo team achieved 2 Gold at Open International Taekwondo Championships-2009 held in
Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
from 18 to 22 August 2009. Bangladesh has also won some gold medals at the South Asian games.


Motorsports


Car race

Car racing is a growing sport in Bangladesh. Avik Anwar, Affan Sadat, Aiman Sadat are Bangladesh's best racers.


National competition


Bangladesh Games


Football

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Bangladesh Championship League Bangladesh Championship League (BCL) is the second-tier football league of Bangladesh run by the Bangladesh Football Federation. It was founded in 2012. The league is also known as TVS Championship League for sponsorship agreements from 2018–1 ...
*
Bangladesh Premier League (football) The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), officially known as TVS Motor Company, TVS Bangladesh Premier League for sponsorship reasons, is a top tier of Bangladeshi professional association football, football league pyramid. It is run directly by the ...
*
Dhaka League Dhaka Senior Division Football League, also referred as First Division Football League, is the third tier of football league in Bangladesh. Until 2006, it was the top-tier league of the country. It was established in 1948 as Dhaka League, while B ...
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Federation Cup (Bangladesh) Federation Cup, also known as Bangladesh Federation Cup, is Bangladesh's premier cup competition in men's association football. The competition started in 1980 and is run by the Bangladesh Football Federation which is responsible for all types o ...
*
Independence Cup (Bangladesh) Independence Cup is a cup competition in men's association football. The competition started in 1972 and is run by the Bangladesh Football Federation, which is responsible for all types of competitive matches in the country. The teams from the co ...
*
Dhaka Second Division Football League Dhaka Second Division Football League is the fourth-tier football league in Bangladesh, and the second highest league division in Dhaka. The league was founded in 1948 as the second-tier of the Dhaka League, while Bangladesh were still under the ...
*
Dhaka Third Division Football League Dhaka Third Division Football League is the fifth-tier association football, football league in Bangladesh, as well as the third and lowest league division in Dhaka. It was established in 1948 as the third-tier of the Dhaka League, while Banglad ...
* Super Cup (Bangladesh) * WFL (Women's)


Cricket

*
National Cricket League of Bangladesh The National Cricket League is the oldest domestic first-class cricket competition in Bangladesh. It is contested by teams representing seven of the eight regional divisions of Bangladesh (there is no team from Mymensingh Division) as well as a t ...
* Dhaka Premier League T20 * Dhaka Premier League List A *
Bangladesh Premier League The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) ( bn, বাংলাদেশ প্রিমিয়ার লীগ) is a professional Twenty20 cricket league consisting of seven franchises. The BPL is one of the three professional cricket leagues in ...
*
Women's National Cricket League The Women's National Cricket League (WNCL) is the national domestic 50-over competition for women's cricket in Australia. Featuring seven teams—one from every state, plus the Australian Capital Territory—each season's winner is awarded the ...
* Women's Dhaka Premier League


Hockey

*
Hockey Champions Trophy Bangladesh The Hockey Champions Trophy Bangladesh ( bn, হকি চ্যাম্পিয়নস ট্রফি বাংলাদেশ) simply known as HCT Bangladesh and officially as DMCB Hockey Champions Trophy Bangladesh for sponsorship ...
*Dhaka Premier Division Hockey League


Rugby union

*Victory Day Rugby Tournament *Women's National Rugby Tournament


Volleyball

*Victory Day Volleyball Championship *Independence Cup Volleyball Championship


International competition


Olympic Games


Asian Games


Commonwealth Games


References


External links


official website of Ministry of Youth and Sports, Bangladesh
{{Sport in Asia Bangladeshi culture