To reform the country’s sports sector, the Ministry of Youth and Sports had earlier formed a search committee. After being extended three times, the committee’s term officially ended on May 10 and will not be renewed. This was confirmed by Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan while speaking to journalists at the Mirpur Swimming Complex this afternoon.
The adviser inaugurated the “Search for the Best Swimmer – Bangladesh 2025” talent hunt program as the chief guest. When asked about the search committee’s tenure, he said, “The term of the search committee will not be extended. We have already worked with this committee for almost seven months.”
Except for football and cricket, other sports federations were being restructured based on the recommendations of this search committee. Out of 53 federations/associations, about half have already had ad-hoc committees formed. More than 20 federations are still awaiting restructuring. Regarding this, the adviser stated, “The search committee was responsible for recommending reconstituted committees. As far as I know, their work is complete. Since today is not an official workday, they will likely submit the remaining proposals on the next working day.”
In many federations, recent changes have been largely superficial, with only a few personnel changes and no meaningful reforms. The adviser acknowledged this concern, saying, “We still have work to do. We need to reform constitutions and organizational structures. For that, the National Sports Council (NSC) will form a new committee to continue the work.”
The search committee was originally formed on August 29 last year. According to the official order, its responsibilities included reviewing the constitutions, election processes, and overall functions of existing federations/associations, and recommending necessary reforms under the National Sports Council Act 2018. It was also tasked with proposing updates to policies governing participation in international competitions.
However, despite these broad objectives, the committee ended up focusing primarily on restructuring federation committees. Even after eight months, many federations remain unchanged, and key goals like constitutional and policy reforms have yet to see meaningful progress.
Praising the talent hunt initiative by the Bangladesh Swimming Federation, the adviser said, “Swimming is deeply connected to our national life. I appreciate this initiative. Such talent hunts can help us discover quality athletes.” General Secretary of the Swimming Federation, Mahbubur Rahman Shaheen, also raised issues regarding the repair of the electronic scoreboard and the gas line, seeking the adviser’s attention on these matters.
UA / TDS
