Sports Analyst
Cricket of diplomacy. Cricket of politics. For many years, India and Pakistan have been using cricket as a tool of politics and diplomacy. Both countries exploit extreme nationalist ‘sentiment’. For the vast populations of both nations, cricket is equivalent to religion. In times of internal political crises and election battles, cricket has been a major issue for many years in those two neighbouring countries.
The success of women’s football is now a special topic of discussion among the country’s sports-loving community. The women footballers have ‘earned’ the admiration through their skill on the field. In the country’s football activities, women are far ahead, and therefore this attention is well-deserved. Women have come onto the football field and made the impossible possible. They have proved that on the national stage they are far ahead of the men footballers although they have been held back in the male-dominated sports arena in various ways
In the cricket field and outside the field, so many non-cricketing activities have been going on over the past few months that it is not only unacceptable but downright condemnable. This is a matter of concern for the future of the country’s cricket. Those who are playing games centring cricket, muddying the waters, those who are fuelling it, have assumed that now is the time to achieve their ulterior motives because such an opportunity may not come again in the future. A storm is engulfing the game of cricket. Some particular men are now more important in cricket than the game itself. Arbitrary practices are increasing in cricket. Deception, disrespect, humiliation and shameful roles are on the rise. The actors are lengthening the cricket ‘documentary’ day by day. Those who are making tall talks about cricket recklessly for personal gain, immersing themselves in hostile opposition, are not doing the right thing. Now it is necessary for everyone to unite in the interest of the country’s cricket.
Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a discussion titled “Gender Discrimination in Sports.” I also had to speak during the event. What emerged from the discussion is that injustice, discrimination, and neglect towards female athletes and organisers in the sports arena have not decreased; rather, they are continuously increasing. Opportunities and rights for women are becoming more limited. Women are still subjected to social scorn when engaging in sports. In most cases, society fails to realise that, like men, women also have equal rights to participate in sports. They have the right to represent the country through sports. In Bangladesh’s sports landscape, men have always had dominance in various sports, and individualism has prevailed.
Those who work with trends in the country’s sports arena regularly observe that in age-based international tournaments, our boys and girls compete in various sports in South Asia, and even further in Asian-level competitions, with equal emotion, courage, and confidence. This reflects that, just like in other fields, the youth of our country are not lagging behind those of other countries in sports either. This is significant. There is no alternative to ability and creativity.
People are now vocal in favour of change in the sports arena—because awareness has increased to some extent. People are realising that the sports sector has not progressed the way it should have over the past five decades. That is why the nation’s dream of a thriving sports sector has remained unfulfilled. After independence, the journey of sports in the new country began with aspirations and commitments. But the sports arena is still plagued with a crisis of trust and confidence. It keeps stumbling in various ways. The sector has not been freed from a kind of uncertainty and instability. Beautiful words, promises, and so-called publicised initiatives cannot lead sports in the right direction. What is needed is a realistic, collective effort. The united sincerity of people, coordination among them, and a shared determination.