Bangladesh Swimming Federation general secretary Rafiz Uddin has failed to live upto his promise after taking charge of the executive committee in February this year.
Upon taking charge, Rafiz claimed that his first priority will be to set up a talent-hunt programme in the grass-root level. Rafiz also pledged to organise an international tournament within three months of taking charge. However, none of the objectives have been fulfilled.
During the last 10 months of his tenure, the BSF hosted only one tournament — the National Age-Level Swimming Championship—last September. As a result, the swimmers are spending an uncertain time as they are currently without practise ahead of international meets like the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games scheduled to be held next year.
Earlier in March this year, Rafiz had told New Age that he was also planning on arranging a long-term training programme in all the districts in order to produce talented swimmers.
Initially a list of five districts was drafted under the long-term programme but that was the end of that as training never even started.
Rafiz also did not undertake any initiatives to improve the reputation of the BSF that had been tarnished under the previous committee after a scandal between women swimmers, a few officials and coaches came to light.
Some BSF officials said that instead of swimming’s governing body, Rafiz was reserving more time for his business and political venture as he is the secretary of Gazipur city Awami League.
Eyebrows were also raised when the Victory Day Swimming and Water Polo tournament was recently cancelled by the BSF, much to the amazement of the officials.
‘Recently, the general secretary [Rafiz] informed that the BSF will not organise the Victory Day tournament. We don’t know why he took this kind of a decision,’ said Amirul Islam, BSF joint secretary, on Monday.
‘As an organiser, we are very worried with the future of Bangladesh swimming because currently the federation has no planning to develop the game,’ said a disappointed Amirul.
Rafiz said that the BSF president, Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral M Farid Habib, told him to call off the Victory Day Swimming
and Water Polo tournament due to the country’s current political situation.
‘Actually it was tough to organise a national tournament in this political situation so the president told me to cancel the tournament,’ said Rafiz.
-With New Age input
