Bangladesh Youth Games set to be founded to address dearth of talent

Bangladesh have disappointed at recent major Games, winning just one medal, a silver, at Glasgow 2014 ©Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images

A Bangladesh Youth Games could be held for the first time in December as part of a push to identify sporting talent in the country.

The Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) wants the Games to be held in alternate years to the Bangladesh Games.

It will see under-18s compete over a month in as many as 22 disciplines.

Under early plans, the top performers at district-level will form teams which will then take part in divisional competitions.

Those who qualify through those competitions will take part in a final round in the country’s capital city, Dhaka.

Bangladesh is the most populous country in the world never to have won an Olympic medal having made their debut at Los Angeles in 1984.

“[The] BOA President is interested in holding the youth level games to find out more young athletes,” deputy secretary general of the BOA, Badal Roy, is reported to have said by The Daily Star.

“We are working on the format and trying to arrange the Games in December.

“Actually, we are suffering from a lack of youth talents in every discipline, so this initiative will definitely help all the federations in running their sports smoothly.”

Bangladesh have never won a medal at the Olympics, including London 2012 ©Getty Images

Bangladesh have never won a medal at the Olympics, including London 2012 ©Getty Images

Bangladesh won one silver medal at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, courtesy of Abdullah Baki in the men’s 10m air rifle competition.

The country picked up no medals at London 2012 and won a single gold, silver and bronze at the Guanghzou 2010 Asian Games.

The gold and silver came from cricket, with the bronze in kabaddi.

Source: insidethegames