‘Amateur’ off the banner, still in the manner

Sometimes, a name is more than just a name -- it's a reflection of identity.

The Bangladesh Amateur Boxing Federation recently rebranded itself by dropping the word "Amateur," but the reality, as revealed in the lead-up to the National Women's Boxing Championship, tells a different story.

On Saturday, the federation organised a press conference to announce the championship -- the first in over six years. The invitation mentioned the press room of the National Stadium as the venue, scheduled for noon. However, when journalists arrived, they found no arrangements there. An elderly man informed them of a last-minute venue change --to the federation's own office building.

There, the disarray continued. With the main conference room unavailable, the press meet was hastily shifted to the federation president's cramped office, where several reporters had to stand in the balcony, with no space to sit.

The event began with a one-page press release that didn't even mention the championship's name. General Secretary M.A. Quddus Khan addressed the press, but questions quickly arose about Zinnat Ferdous, a US-based boxer hyped as the star attraction. She didn't arrive, reportedly due to flight issues.

Then came the confusion over participants. Khan mentioned that four foreign athletes would take part in what is supposed to be a national championship. When questioned, he gave a vague explanation-- that these athletes were foreign students at local universities. Moments later, he contradicted himself, saying those universities had been excluded and that one team had already been dropped for fielding foreigners.

He further stated that 71 teams would now participate -- from clubs, districts, schools, colleges, universities, city corporations, the Army, Police, and Ansar. Notably, BGB was not among them. Additionally, several new clubs -- some unregistered -- were reportedly being considered for inclusion less than 24 hours before the event begins.

Asaduzzaman, president of a club named 'A Boxing Club', alleged exclusion due to their involvement in professional boxing. The federation responded that only those who apologised for previous professional stints were being allowed, and even at the last moment, new teams could be accepted if they approached the federation.

The championship begins July 27 and runs through July 30, featuring boxers from across the country. But the lack of organisation, the contradictory communication, and the murky eligibility rules leave one wondering: has the federation actually shed away its 'amateur' status or just removed the word from its signage?