Reinstate shooting at the 2022 CWG

Bangladesh has become the fourth country after India, Australia and Sri Lanka to protest against shooting's exclusion from the Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2022 in Birmingham, United Kingdom. If the event is finally not included, Bangladesh will lose out the chance of winning a medal in a discipline in which the country earned several medals in the past.

Abdus Sattar Nini and Ateequr Rahman won the maiden gold medal for the country from Auckland CWG in paired 100-metre air rifle event. Abdus Sattar also bagged a bronze in the same event. And then Asif Hossain Khan brought home the second gold medal from Manchester Games in 2002. Abdullah Hel Baki, the current leading shooter of the country, won two silver medals one in the previous Games in Gold Coast, Australia and the other in Glasgow Games, Scotland, in 2014. He also won one 10-metre paired air rifle bronze medal in New Delhi CWG in 2010.

Reportedly, shooting was dropped in favour of beach volleyball and para-table tennis. All sports which are gaining popularity should be encouraged and featured in the Commonwealth Games but in excluding a sport the games authority should have consulted India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka – the three major countries from South Asia where shooting is very much a pride in the sporting arena.

For Bangladesh, cricket, archery, shooting, women’s football and cricket plus golf are the sports that hold potential for the future with several world class sportsmen and women competing in these disciplines. Therefore, cutting out shooting from Commonwealth Games – a platform where shooters can compete against top class shooters, and also prepare for Olympics, is tantamount to stifling a sport.

Arguably, this will dent the motivation of the shooters and have an adverse impact on the sport. At this moment the effort needs to be taken up by the government and the foreign ministry to send a request to the British government to ensure that Commonwealth Games does not become the reason for the demise of a sport, popular in many countries.

 

 

Reinstate shooting at the 2022 CWG

Bangladesh has become the fourth country after India, Australia and Sri Lanka to protest against shootings exclusion from the Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2022 in Birmingham, United Kingdom. If the event is finally not included, Bangladesh will lose out the chance of winning a medal in a discipline in which the country earned several medals in the past. Abdus Sattar Nini and Ateequr Rahman won the maiden gold medal for the country from Auckland CWG in paired 100-metre air rifle event. Abdus Sattar also bagged a bronze in the same event. And then Asif Hossain Khan brought home the second gold medal from Manchester Games in 2002. Abdullah Hel Baki, the current leading shooter of the country, won two silver medals one in the previous Games in Gold Coast, Australia and the other in Glasgow Games, Scotland, in 2014. He also won one 10-metre paired air rifle bronze medal in New Delhi CWG in 2010. Reportedly, shooting was dropped in favour of beach volleyball and para-table tennis. All sports which are gaining popularity should be encouraged and featured in the Commonwealth Games but in excluding a sport the games authority should have consulted India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka the three major countries from South Asia where shooting is very much a pride in the sporting arena. For Bangladesh, cricket, archery, shooting, womens football and cricket plus golf are the sports that hold potential for the future with several world class sportsmen and women competing in these disciplines. Therefore, cutting out shooting from Commonwealth Games a platform where shooters can compete against top class shooters, and also prepare for Olympics, is tantamount to stifling a sport. Arguably, this will dent the motivation of the shooters and have an adverse impact on the sport. At this moment the effort needs to be taken up by the government and the foreign ministry to send a request to the British government to ensure that Commonwealth Games does not become the reason for the demise of a sport, popular in many countries.