Asian Games delegation crisis defused
Published: 21 August 2026, 12:07:31
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The standoff over Bangladesh’s official delegation for the upcoming Asian Games has been resolved following the intervention of Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) president and army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman.
The breakthrough came during a meeting at the army headquarters on Thursday, where officials from newly formed ad-hoc sports federations were assured that 23 of their representatives from 11 disciplines would replace the previously registered officials for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
The dispute had earlier brought chaos to a BOA meeting on Tuesday, prompting a walkout after newly appointed federation leaders demanded the removal of officials from dissolved committees who had already been registered with the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).
“With the cooperation of the State Minister for Youth and Sports, the BOA president and army chief, and National Sports Council director (sports) Zahed Parvez Chowdhury, the crisis has finally been resolved,” Athletics Federation general secretary Advocate Ali Imam Tapon said.
“The army chief told us that accreditations will now be issued in our names instead of the old officials,” Tapon added. “He said he personally spoke with an OCA official, who assured him that the changes can be made. Because of this, 23 names across 11 federations are being replaced.”
The resolution has brought widespread relief to federations that had feared missing out on crucial roles during the continental event.
“Finally, our problem is solved,” said Swimming Federation general secretary Aminul Haque Dewan Sojol. “Now we can be at the venue to guide our athletes. On top of that, we can also attend our Asian governing body’s congress. We are very grateful to the army chief.”
BOA secretary general Jubaidur Rahman Rana confirmed that official paperwork to update the delegation is now underway.
“The issue is moving towards a complete solution thanks to the initiative taken by our president,” Rana said. “He spoke directly with a secretary-level official of the OCA. We are now submitting the names for replacement and we remain very hopeful.”
BOA vice-president Major (retd) Imroz Ahmed and representatives from the 11 sports bodies attended the meeting. Federation leaders now expect the official accreditation process to be completed swiftly ahead of the Games.
