The Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) faces a crisis combining officials’ departures with questions over its federation representation. The six resignations recorded on 13 and 14 October have risen to nine in three days, according to a report published by ‘Bangla Tribune’ on Friday. Meanwhile, representatives of several federations are preparing an appeal to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) seeking fresh elections. Neither the formal submission of that appeal nor any IOC intervention has yet been verified.
The first six departures involved a vice-president, a deputy secretary-general and four members of the 37-member Executive Committee. Vice-president Nayeem Ashfaque Chowdhury, former athlete Farhad Jesmin Liti and Olympic shooter Abdullah Hel Baki followed on Thursday, according to ‘Bangla Tribune’. The succession of resignations increases pressure on a leadership that has yet to complete its first year in office.
The dispute over federation representation
The dispute stems from the election held on 30 November 2025. According to ‘Daily Sun’, representatives of interim federation committees established under the interim government participated in that election. On 18 July, the National Sports Council replaced the committees of 28 federations, raising questions about the continued mandates of representatives associated with the previous structures.
Ali Imam Tapan, secretary-general of the Bangladesh Athletics Federation, is among the officials challenging that situation. Speaking to ‘Daily Sun’, he argued that some members of the Olympic leadership no longer represent the federations from which they originally came. The appeal being prepared seeks the dissolution of the committee and a fresh election, although that demand does not constitute a ruling on the validity of the current members’ mandates.
The Olympic leadership’s response
BOA secretary-general Jubaidur Rahman Rana has explained that the resignation letters will be presented at the next Executive Committee meeting. If accepted, the association will inform the IOC and proceed according to its guidance. The resignations therefore remain subject to the internal process announced by the association itself.
Not all departing officials support dissolving the committee. Syed Rumman Bin Wali Shabbir, one of the first to resign, argues that individual departures do not justify such a move and that vacancies should be filled through elections under the applicable rules. His position draws a significant distinction between deciding to leave office and supporting the replacement of the entire leadership.
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