'Recognition more honourable than money': Trailblazers speak out after sports card snub

The Youth and Sports Ministry has recently expanded its national payroll to support 300 athletes, a programme designed to provide financial security to sports professionals. However, some of the country’s most dedicated athletes feel the current selection process has failed to reach those in underrepresented disciplines.

Sura Krishna Chakma, a trailblazer who became the first professional boxer from Bangladesh to win an international belt in 2023, remains absent from the government-nominated sports card list. Despite a record of eight wins in 10 professional bouts, Chakma argues that the system is missing the mark for athletes who have navigated immense professional hurdles.

"I have reached this position today after navigating many ups and downs. Yet, I have not seen my name on the list for government-nominated sports cards to this day. Sports cards are most needed for underrepresented sports like ours," Sura Krishna vented his frustrations in a lengthy Facebook post today.

According to National Sports Council officials, while the initial plan targeted 500 athletes, the government has revised the rollout to include 300 athletes within the current fiscal year, placed under a monthly stipend of one lakh taka each. The remaining 200 athletes are expected to be brought under the scheme in the next fiscal year.

"Many athletes on national teams in various sports, who have fought silently for the country for years, still have not received sports cards. I believe money is certainly necessary, but recognition is more honourable than money," Sura Krishna added.

This sense of alienation is shared by triathlete Mohammed Shamsuzzaman Arafat, whose decorated career, including multiple world championships and Ironman podiums, has been built entirely outside the support of a traditional federation.

"I don’t know what more could possibly be left to qualify for our national sports accolades! There is no [supporting] federation for this, yet he has come this far through his own sheer effort," Arafat reflected on Facebook yesterday.

"Perhaps state recognition could have pushed this journey yet another step forward."