‘Indoor Sport, Unlike Cricket’: Why Bangladesh Allowed Shooters To Travel To India At The '11th Hour'

Last Updated:January 29, 2026, 12:14 IST

Days after Bangladesh created a storm over not traveling to India for T20 World Cup, its shooters have been given permission for a tournament in New Delhi.

Two members will be traveling to New Delhi for the shooting championships. (AFP Photo)

Bangladesh shooters are set to travel to India for the upcoming Asian Rifle and Pistol Championships in New Delhi. The shooters have been allowed to travel days after the Bangladesh government refused to send their men’s national cricket team to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup, citing security concerns.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) shot a letter to the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding their concerns and to relocate their matches from India to Sri Lanka. However, an independent security assessment found no credible threat to Bangladeshi players, officials, and fans.

ICC gave assurances to BCB several times, but the board remained adamant, following which Scotland replaced Bangladesh in the marquee tournament to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

However, days after the fiasco, the Bangladeshi government says their one shooter and a coach will be travelling for the Asian C’ships, claiming the venue is “fully secured".

“Only a shooter and a coach are travelling. The venue is fully secured, and general spectator involvement is very limited. We have also been assured by the hosts that there is no security threat," Bangladesh’s Youth and Sports Secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam told the Daily Star.

Quoting National Sports Council Director Mohammad Aminul Ahsan, the daily cited two reasons behind the approval, which reportedly came at the “11th hour".

“Shooting is an indoor sport with limited spectators, unlike cricket, which is played in large venues before large crowds, so there is minimal security concern. Second, we want to promote friendship through sports," Aminul said.

National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) secretary Pawan Singh said they had no concerns.

“We sought clearances from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs, and Sports Ministry – standard procedure when athletes travel with weapons. We got clearance from all three. Bangladesh sent entries like any other country. From our end, there was no issue," Pawan said.

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