Photo: Collected
The Bangladesh archery team has returned home from Sulaymaniyah in Iraq with several medals, including gold. The biggest news from the second leg of the Asia Cup World Ranking Tournament came from the recurve men’s team event: beating Kazakhstan, the team wrote new history by winning gold at the Asia Cup for the first time. The red-and-green archers have come back full of confidence after such success on the international stage. Those involved see the experience gained by young archers, alongside the individual and team medals, as a major gain for the future.
The archers were welcomed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport early on Sunday. Present were Youth and Sports Ministry acting secretary Mahfuzul Alam Khan, Bangladesh Archery Federation president Kazi Rajib Uddin Ahmed Chapol, general secretary Tanvir Ahmed and joint secretary Rubel Hossain.
Bonna Akter has tasted international gold in an individual event for Bangladesh for the first time. She beat Kazakhstan’s Milana Burleva 145-143 in the women’s compound individual final. Bangladesh’s women also won gold in the team event. In the recurve men’s team, Abdur Rahman Alif, Sagor Islam and Abdullah Al Mohammad Rafi sealed gold by beating Kazakhstan 6-2 on set points. Kulsum Akter Moni won bronze in an individual event.
To Sagor Islam, the recurve men’s team gold is the fruit of long hard work. They want to put this experience to use at the upcoming Asian Youth Championship in the United Arab Emirates. The archers also dream of winning medals for the country at the World Cup and the Olympics. But they still have regrets about limited preparation and falling short of expectations in individual events.
Head coach Frederic Martin said about 80 per cent of this team were young archers. With under-21 and under-18 players especially in mind, they treated the competition as preparation for the future. The coach believes the experience of playing finals in front of large crowds, announcements and video screens will help at the Youth Asian Championship next December.
Youth and Sports Ministry acting secretary Mahfuzul Alam Khan also outlined the government’s long-term plans for players. He said around 300 players are being given a sports allowance of Tk 1 lakh a month each. The government is also taking responsibility for the education and training at BKSP of players selected after talent hunts at the grassroots. An initiative has also been taken to draw up year-round training plans in line with the federations’ international competition calendars. In his words, the government’s aim is not just to take part in international competitions, but to win medals.
The World Cup, the World Championship and the Olympics — these are now the new challenges before the archers. It remains to be seen how far the Asia Cup success takes them along the road to that dream.
Background
According to a Dhaka Tribune report on 26 October, the second leg of the Asia Cup in Sulaymaniyah ran from 24 to 29 October; the recurve men’s team reached the final by beating Uzbekistan 6-0 in the semi-final. Earlier, in March, at the first leg in Bangkok, Bangladesh won gold for the first time in the compound men’s team event, beating Vietnam 231-225, the Daily Observer reported on 27 March.
At a glance
Alif had already set a precedent for individual success in recurve. According to a report by Prothom Alo’s English edition, on 20 June 2025 at the second leg of the Asia Cup in Singapore, he won gold by beating Japan’s Miyata Gakuto 6-4 on sets in the recurve men’s individual final.
Sources
Original report: Bangladesh Pratidin
Background sources: Dhaka Tribune, 26 October 2026; Daily Observer, 27 March 2026; Prothom Alo English, 20 June 2025
