Bangladesh wrapped up their campaign at the South Asian Regional Youth Table Tennis Championships on a disappointing note, securing only seven bronze medals in the five-nation tournament held in Nepal from April 24 to 28.

Of the seven bronze medals, five came from the under-19 boys' and girls' categories—boys' team, boys' doubles, girls' team, girls' doubles, and boys' singles. The remaining two were won in the under-15 boys' and girls' doubles events.

In recent years, Bangladesh had shown relatively better performances, winning one gold, one silver, and five bronze medals in the 2022 edition held in the Maldives, followed by two silver and seven bronze medals in India in 2023, and two silver and five bronze medals in Sri Lanka in 2024.

Prior to the Nepal trip, officials from the Bangladesh Table Tennis Federation (BTTF) had tempered expectations due to a shortened preparation period. The federation was informed about the tournament only in early March, leaving limited time to prepare.

Despite the constraints, head coach Al Mostafa Billah, also from BKSP, had hoped for a strong performance from the under-19 boys' team. However, the team finished third out of five, defeating Pakistan 3-0 and the Maldives 3-1, but losing to Nepal 3-0 and Sri Lanka 3-2. Meanwhile, the under-19 girls' team managed only a single win against the Maldives (3-1), suffering losses to Nepal (1-3), India (0-3), and Sri Lanka (0-3).

BTTF general secretary Captain AM Maqsood Ahmed expressed mixed feelings about the outcome. While disappointed, he remained optimistic about the future.

"The result was not entirely satisfactory, but it wasn't unexpected either, given our limited preparation time and the absence of key players like Hasib [Abul Hashem], Koy Khoy [Sai Marma], and [Tanchangya] Resmi due to illness," Maqsood said in a statement.

He pointed out that Bangladesh had a realistic chance of qualifying for the Asian Championships by finishing in the top two in the boys' category.

Maqsood believes this group of under-19 boys have strong potential -- comparable in standard to Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan, and not far behind India -- if provided with long-term training. However, he stressed that the under-19 and under-15 girls' teams are significantly behind, particularly in terms of physical fitness.

"Our girls need special attention, especially regarding fitness. That's one area where we need to focus the most. Any future training camp must include adequate fitness facilities," Maqsood emphasised.