Tug of war between archery and football

The upcoming Asian Archery Championship, scheduled for November 8 to 14 in Dhaka, will be relocated from the National Stadium to make way for the Bangladesh national football team's fixtures -- a FIFA friendly against Afghanistan on November 13 and an Asian Cup Qualifier against India on November 18, informed Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan.

Speaking to reporters during an exhibition football match between advisers and diplomats at the National Stadium on Saturday, Asif Mahmud said football was the current priority, and therefore, archery would have to make way.

"We are planning to host the archery championship either at the Army Stadium or at the Kamalapur Stadium, since there are football matches against India and Guyana (actually Afghanistan). It would have been best if we could hold the archery event here, but we cannot, since football is our priority now," the adviser said.

The Asian Archery Championship is expected to host over 400 athletes and officials from around 30 Asian countries.

Read more

Bangladesh to host Afghanistan in November FIFA window

However, the possible venue shift has drawn concern from the Bangladesh Archery Federation (BAF). Its general secretary, Tanvir Ahmed, warned that moving the event could cause a serious image crisis for Bangladesh archery.

"We haven't received any instruction yet from the NSC. The ground was allotted to us a year ago. We just learnt a few days back that a football match will be held at the National Stadium. But we have already made all our preparations," Tanvir told reporters.

"We have some compliance issues. Technical delegates have already inspected the venue. There will be more than 400 athletes and officials here from 30 or 31 countries. This is a matter of prestige and image," he added.

Kazi Razibuddin Ahmed Chapal, a former general secretary of BAF and a member of the Asian Archery Federation, suggested a possible compromise to avoid penalties.

"If we can hold up to the semi-finals at this venue and vacate by 6:00pm on 12 November to shift to another venue for the finals, we will remain within the guidelines of World Archery. Otherwise, we might face sanctions," he said.