On the opening day of the 49th National Athletics Championships at the National Stadium on Sunday, Sharifa Khatun finished second in the women’s 100m sprint. With the silver medal around her neck, the 28-year-old athlete from Khulna was brimming with joy.
Yet, inside her, there was a sadness, for this could very well be the last national championships appearance for the Bangladesh Army Corporal, who would be departing for a United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan soon.
For the last 12 years, athletics has shaped Sharifa’s life. The sport earned her a place in the army and gave her financial security. Looking back, she says she has “never felt it was the wrong decision.” Yet beyond Sharifa’s personal success lies a worrying reality -- women’s participation in Bangladesh athletics has steadily declined in recent years.
The decline is reflected in the numbers. The 47th edition featured 146 female athletes. That figure dropped to 107 in the 48th edition and has fallen further to just 98 in the ongoing meet, among a total of 410 athletes from 45 organisations.
These are not merely statistics; they reflect stories that never reached the track.
Coaches and former athletes point to uncertainty over the future. Veteran coach Mokhlesur Rahman, who has been involved in athletics since the 1980s, said families often lose interest when years of sacrifice fail to guarantee stability.
“A girl may perform well at district and divisional level, but if nothing happens at national level, nobody notices her. Eventually it becomes a burden for the family,” he said.
There was a time when organisations such as BTMC, BJMC, Customs and Bangladesh Railway regularly recruited athletes, providing both competition and career opportunities. Bangladesh Athletics Federation general secretary Shah Alam recalled how athletes once benefited from competition among service teams.
Shirin Akter has ensured constant success and stuck around with athletics, but that's not the case for every female athlete. Photo: Palash Khan“Earlier there were 12 to 15 service teams. One organisation would offer Tk 10,000 salary and another would offer Tk 15,000 to recruit athletes,” he said.
That system has largely disappeared, he added, with only the army and navy now recruiting athletes, and in limited numbers.
Former hurdler Sumita Rani places the blame for this decline squarely on the federation. There was both frustration and sadness in her voice.
“When we competed, there were long-term training camps, regular competitions and sponsors. Now those things no longer exist,” she said.
She believes the federation must maintain active communication at district level and provide equipment and support.
There is another layer to the problem, one that people spoke about with some hesitation. Mokhlesur recalled the story of a girl from his district who had performed well in swimming and earned the chance to compete at divisional level, but her parents refused to let her go.
“Their reasoning was that a grown-up girl travelling to compete in sports is sinful,” he said.
In his view, the growing spread of religious conservatism in recent years has further narrowed the path for girls to enter sports.
The structural decline is equally concerning. Mokhlesur revealed that his district last hosted an athletics competition in 1986. Without district-level competitions, the talent pipeline continues to dry up.
Even so, athletes like Sharifa continue to persevere. But as she prepares to leave for South Sudan, Bangladesh athletics still faces a difficult question -- who will replace the women gradually disappearing from the track?
