Bangladesh Games is the largest domestic multi-sport tournament in Bangladesh where athletes and sports teams from all the

districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

of Bangladesh participate. Initiated in 1978, the event went into a hiatus after being held for the 7th time in 2002 but was restored after almost 11 years in 2013.

History

The history of Bangladesh Games can be traced back to the

British colonial The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

period in the Indian Subcontinent. The Indian Olympic Association was formed in 1927 and the first ever

National Games of India The National Games of India consist of various disciplines in which athletes from the different states of India participate against each other. The country's first few Olympic Games, now renamed as National Games, were held in North India (De ...

was held in 1934. Athletes from present day Bangladesh participated in the event representing the Bengal Province. After the

Partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

in 1947, Bangladesh became a part of the newly created nation of Pakistan. The

Pakistan Olympic Association Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) or National Olympic Committee of Pakistan (NOC) ( ur, پاکستان اولمپک ایسوسی ایشن, acronym: POA) is the national olympic organization in Pakistan. It was established in 1948 to oversee the ...

was established in 1948 and from the same year it began to organize the

National Games of Pakistan The National Games of Pakistan is a multi-sport event held in Pakistan. It comprises various disciplines in which sportsmen from the different teams participate against each other. The games are organized by Pakistan Sports Board, Pakistan Olympi ...

. Bangladeshis used to participate in the event representing the East Pakistan province. Dhaka was the host city of the event in four occasions, in 1955, 1960, 1964 and 1968. After the

independence of Bangladesh Independence of Bangladesh was declared on 26 March 1971, celebrated as Independence Day, from Pakistan. The Independence Day of Bangladesh is celebrated on 26 March when Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared the Independence of Bangladesh. The Bangladesh ...

in 1971, the sports officials in the country felt the need to organize a Bangladeshi version of such a national event. The first edition of Bangladesh Games was held in 1978 from 15 to 19 March under the name ''Bangladesh Olympic Championships''. However, the inception of the event was distinct from those of India and Pakistan, as it was initiated before the formal establishment of the

national Olympic committee A National Olympic Committee (NOC) is a national constituent of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, NOCs are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games ...

of Bangladesh in 1979. The first edition of the event featured athletics, basketball, boxing, cycling, gymnastics, shooting, swimming, volleyball, weightlifting and wrestling. The second edition was held in 1980, as it was decided to hold the event in biennial manner. At this time, some subsequent changes were made in the formation of the event. The title was changed into ''Bangladesh Games'' and it was decided to hold the event in every four years. Accordingly, the third edition of the event was held in 1984. The event had been organized regularly until the seventh edition which was scheduled to take place in 2000 but was held in 2002. The eighth edition of the event was held in 2013, after almost eleven years from the previous edition and five years from the scheduled date. To revive the popularity of the event, a gala opening ceremony was held prior to the beginning of the event. This edition featured 31 disciplines having 346 events with almost ten thousand athletes, officials and staffs involved with it.

References

{{Multi-sport events Sports competitions in Bangladesh Recurring sporting events established in 1978 Multi-sport events in Bangladesh Bangladesh 1978 establishments in Bangladesh