Bangladesh Olympic Association has sought more than Tk two crore from government for participating in the forthcoming Rio Olympic Games, officials said on Wednesday.
BOA submitted a budget worth Tk 2.12 crore to the ministry of youth and sports last month but the ministry is yet to give any positive response. BOA claimed they have already spent Tk 1.8 crore for completing all the formalities to send a 19-member Bangladesh contingent to the game city as the mega sports event gets underway on August 5 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
‘We need such an amount due to the high-rate of air tickets,’ BOA director general Fakruddin Haider told New Age on Wednesday.
‘We had to purchase some tickets with high price after getting the entry assurance at the last moment.’
Though BOA is yet to get the financial support from the government, they confirmed the contingent list including seven athletes from five different disciplines.
Sprinters Mezbah Uddin Ahmed and Shirin Akter, who gained the wild-card entry at the last moment, completed Bangladesh contingent with seven athletes, the highest ever in Bangladesh’s Olympics history.
Bangladesh got six wild-cards for Mezbah, Shirin, shooter Abdullah Hel Baki, archer Shamoly Roy and swimmers Mahfizur Rahman Sagar and Sonia Akter while golfer Siddikur Rahman qualified directly being country’s first ever athlete.
Six coach-cum-officials from five disciplines will accompany the athletes while Bangladesh Fencing Association president Lieutenant General ATM Zahirul Alam was nominated as the chef de mission of Bangladesh contingent.
Besides, Bangladesh Olympic Association president and chief of army staff General Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Huq, secretary general Shahed Reza, director general and attaché of the contingent Fakruddin Haider and representative of BOA and general secretary of Bangladesh Athletics Federation Ibrahim Chengis will visit Rio with the contingent.
Meanwhile, state minister for youth and sports Biren Shikder, deputy minister Arif Khan Joy, chairman of parliamentary committee for youth and sports ministry Zahid Ahsan Russel will also visit Rio with at government’s expense.
However, the general secretary of Bangladesh Archery Federation Kazi Razibuddin Ahmed Chapal and general secretary of Bangladesh Shooting Sports Federation Intekhabul Hamid Apu will visit the games at their own expenses.
It was learnt that, seven members of the parliamentary committee of youth and sports ministry, secretaries of both sports ministry and National Sports Council showed their interest to visit Rio but BOA denied their request.
Bangladesh contingent, split into four groups, will leave here for Rio with shooting team flying on July 31.
Swimming and athletics team will fly on August 1 while archery and golf team will follow them respectively in next two days.
-With New Age input
