‘Life in sports is yet to return’

Since the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024, the Youth and Sports Ministry formed a five-member Search Committee on August 29 to reform sports in the country. The committee was reconstructed on October 1 and was assigned to reform constitutions in sports, alongside forming ad-hoc committees of national sports bodies. After the duration of the Search Committee ended on May 10, Jubaidur Rahman Rana, the committee's convenor and former national shuttler-turned-organiser, talked to The Daily Star's Anisur Rahman about their successes, failures, obstacles, and future plans.

The Daily Star (DS): Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud said on Saturday that the tenure of the Search Committee in sports would not be extended further. What has your experience been over the past seven months?

Jubaidur Rahman Rana (JRR): We had hoped to accomplish many things -- drafting a good constitution, forming strong committees, and holding proper elections. I would say we achieved about 50 percent of our goals, though others may claim it's closer to 80 percent. However, our primary task was constitutional reform in sports, which remains incomplete.

DS: How much will the Search Committee be able to meet the expectations of reforming constitutions in sports?

JRR: I met with the sports advisor today [Sunday]. He said a new committee would complete the remaining work. While he didn't specify whether it would be a separate body, it's likely that the existing Search Committee members will continue the task. Around 80 percent of the constitutional reform has been completed so far.

DS: Did the sports advisor mention anything specific about reforming the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) constitution?

JRR: Yes, he emphasised the need to reform the BCB constitution. He asked me to include him and five others in the BCB constitution reform committee. He also told me that the committee's name will be changed once the ad-hoc committee's work is complete.

DS: How is reforming constitutions in sports actually done?

JRR: We can't impose a new constitution on anyone. Instead, we sit with all stakeholders before drafting the constitutions. These drafts are then sent to the federations for review. If they have suggestions or concerns, we address them before finalising. Many existing constitutions lack proper election procedures, and several are simply copied from other federations.

DS: The Search Committee's tenure expired on Saturday, but it only formed 29 ad-hoc committees. What about the rest?

JRR: We submitted ad-hoc committees for 30 federations, but the Bangladesh Shooting Sports Federation's committee has been pending for four months despite submission. We submitted committees for the remaining 23 on May 5 and will officially hand them over tomorrow [Monday].

DS: After working seven months to form committees for all 53 sports bodies, do you think it was a success, or are you disappointed?

JRR: Honestly, I don't feel we achieved success. We couldn't fully satisfy anyone. When one person does a job alone, the outcome is different than when five people are involved. All five of us were deeply involved in sports, but how did we do anything different than any random five people who probably would have taken a similar amount of time to form all these committees? Perhaps, we should be held accountable for that. We spent seven months on this -- can we return that time to the athletes?

DS: Why did it take seven months to form just 53 committees?

JRR: There was a lack of cooperation. For example, even after discussing with around 10 to 70 people to form a committee, some of our recommended names were missing from the final list. Committees were often published weeks after we had submitted them. That's why it took seven to eight months.

DS: How much did the 29 new ad-hoc committees do to breathe life back into sports since the fall of the Awami League government?

JRR: Honestly, life in sports is yet to return. I visited several districts and divisions recently, and many playgrounds are overgrown with knee-high grass. What have we achieved? We formed ad-hoc committees with 17 to 19 members, while the actual committees should include 27 to 29. So we're short by 10 members who could have contributed meaningfully.

DS: When should elections in sports be held?

JRR: Elections should only be held after the constitutions are reformed. The government should prioritise these reforms; otherwise, the purpose of forming the Search Committee remains unfulfilled.

DS: Did you face any pressure while forming the ad-hoc committees?

JRR: Yes, there was pressure from outside, but we didn't give in to it. However, we did have to consider some internal recommendations.

DS: Do you have any regrets about the past seven months?

JRR: Not exactly regret, but we started with a much more cooperative environment. Over time, we couldn't unite under a collective vision. Eventually, individual agendas surfaced, leading to conflicts.