Why Bangladesh cleared shooters’ Delhi tour after refusing to travel for T20 World Cup: ‘Indoor sport, limited crowd’

The clearance came at the “eleventh hour,” according to The Daily Star, which quoted Youth and Sports Secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam: “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.”

The newspaper cited National Sports Council Director Mohammad Aminul Ahsan saying cricket and shooting were separate matters. “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.”

Pawan Singh, secretary-general of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), said there was never any issue from their end. “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.”

Notably, Bangladesh rejected repeated assurances from India and the International Cricket Council that there were no credible security threats to their cricket team. The issue arose after the BCCI, on January 3, instructed Kolkata Knight Riders to release Mustafizur from their squad for the 2026 season.

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Although no reason was given, it came amid diplomatic tension between the nations. On January 4, the BCB wrote to the ICC that its team would not travel to India for T20 World Cup matches due to security concerns and requested matches be shifted to Sri Lanka. The BCB stood firm, forcing the ICC to replace them with Scotland.

At the shooting championship, Bangladesh will be represented by rifle shooters Robiul Islam, who finished 43rd at the Paris Olympics, and Shaira Arefin. According to the International Shooting Sport Federation, 327 shooters will compete in the event, which concludes February 14.

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