In a country washed by the Bay of Bengal and home to some of South Asia's most renowned coastlines, Bangladesh's preparation for a major beach sports event has taken a rather puzzling route, right into the heart of the capital.
At Dhaka's historic Paltan Maidan, a grass space of the ground had been transformed with layers of sand in an attempt to replicate beach conditions. The attempt is part of the preparation for the Asian Beach Games, scheduled to be held in the city of Sanya in China's Hainan Province, from 22 to 30 April, where Bangladesh will compete in six disciplines, including beach kabaddi, swimming, wrestling, volleyball, handball, and athletics. Yet the preparatory arrangement has raised more eyebrows than hope.
For weeks now, several federations have been sharing the improvised sandy court at Paltan, dividing time among themselves in preparation for the international games. While the effort reflects urgency, questions persist over its effectiveness.
A beach, after all, is not merely a spread of sand underfoot. It is defined by its environment, the sea breeze, the vast expanse of water, the taste of salt in the air, the sound of waves, the unique texture of coastal terrain, and, in essence, the tranquil maritime environment. All these elements were conspicuously absent in this city setup. How could the authorities expect to find all of this at Paltan Maidan?
The concern within the sporting community is straightforward: can such a simulated arrangement truly prepare athletes for the demands of a competitive beach environment?
This is not an unfamiliar narrative or new criticism in Bangladesh's sporting circles: Our federations often participate in international events merely for the sake of participation. With inadequate preparation, these trips become little more than foreign tours, sightseeing excursions, and photo opportunities, yielding scant results. Beyond the travel and the snapshots, tangible gains are virtually non-existent. The current scenario appears to echo that concern, where efforts seem to have outpaced planning. Training on improvised courts instead of actual beaches can hardly be considered proper preparation.
There has, however, been a partial shift in approach. The volleyball federation, recognising the limitations of the Paltan setup, is reportedly working to arrange a short training camp at an actual sea beach to fine-tune preparations. Whether others will follow suit remains uncertain. Amid these questions, Paltan Maidan also hosted the Independence Day Beach Kabaddi friendly last Tuesday. National players, divided into 'Red' and 'Green' teams, took part in the exhibition match in both men's and women's categories. The event was attended by the newly appointed president of the Bangladesh Kabaddi Federation and Inspector General of Police, Md. Ali Hossain Fakir.
While the matches added ceremonial value to the preparations, they also underscored the central dilemma as to why a nation endowed with natural beaches must rely on an improvised urban ground for a beach games campaign.
As the countdown to Sanya gathers pace, Bangladesh's preparation continues under a cloud of questions, with the gap between intent and execution becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
