The National Sports Council (NSC) has triggered a major storm across the country’s sporting arena after unveiling 27 new ad-hoc federation committees on Saturday, drawing intense scrutiny over structural inconsistencies and the retention of highly controversial officials.
The sweeping shake-up replaces the previous interim bodies formed in November 2024.
The governing body has handed the new committees a strict, short-term mandate to clear the decks and democratise the running of national sports.
“The responsibility of the newly formed committees is to organise elections,” Aminul Ehsan, NSC Director of Sports, confirmed to Daily Sun on Saturday. “They have been given a three-month timeframe. They must complete the elections within this period.”
However, the restructuring has ignited a fierce debate within the country’s sporting fraternity.
Particular scrutiny has fallen on the retention of MA Quddus Khan and Dildar Hasan Dilu as general secretaries of the boxing and wushu federations, respectively.
Both officials hold top positions in the General Secretaries’ Forum, and their reappointment has raised serious questions regarding the transparency of the selection process.
When pressed on why officials facing severe allegations of malpractice were allowed to remain at the helm, Ehsan dismissed the concerns.
“There are allegations, but they are not documented. Thats why, there is really no scope to discuss this,” he said.
Beyond individual appointments, the sheer composition of the new panels has left the sporting fraternity confused.
Committee sizes randomly swing between 25 and 29 members, with the NSC offering no explanation for the disparities, casting a cloud of doubt over the decision-making process.
The overhaul follows proposals submitted by a dedicated reform committee formed in February by State Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque.
With critics calling foul, the backlash is now mounting against the reform committee itself.
While major disciplines like athletics, kabaddi, chess, taekwondo, shooting, swimming, volleyball, badminton, table tennis, judo, karate, hockey, and cycling all saw a change of guard at the top, eight general secretaries managed to survive the axe.
Alongside boxing and wushu, the chief executives for gymnastics, wrestling, handball, rugby, and tennis held onto their seats.
Further flashpoints have ignited across individual sports.
Former national shooter Sharmin Akter Ratna has raised eyebrows by landing a dual role, being named joint secretary of the shooting federation while at the same time serving as the general secretary of the Women’s Sports Association (WSA).
Abdullah Al Fuad Redwan, member secretary of the sports reform committee, mounted a firm defence of the appointments amid the growing outcry.
Addressing Ratna’s controversial double role, Redwan stated, “The WSA and the Shooting Federation are two separate institutions. So, Ratna can carry out responsibilities in both places. There is no problem with that.”
Regarding the decision to keep eight entrenched general secretaries in power despite the promised new beginning, he added, “It is not possible to change absolutely everyone.”
