‘Bangladesh counts only medals but little steps are important’

Since his arrival in 2018 as the national coach of the Bangladesh archery team, Martin Frederick has led the country to great heights at the continental level. The German coach, whose five-year contract is on the verge of ending, shared his experience of working in Bangladesh and mentioned some critical issues which need to be addressed while talking with The Daily Star's Ashfaq Ul Mushfiq. The excerpts of the interview are below:

The Daily Star (DS): What was your initial impression of archery here and how is it today?
Martin Frederick (MF): I felt the impressive potential of archery here in Bangladesh and a strong will to do well from the national team and federation in general. While looking back today, we can see us going forward, improving and producing proud positions on the podium here in the region, in Asia and making some visible connection to the world results.

DS: What were the key things that helped to bring such changes?

MF: For me, in working as a national coach I try to approach the task much wider to improve the network; to make better structures, for example. One key thing is planning well, not just somehow managing the moment.

DS: Archer Ruman Sana mentioned how things improved drastically after you arrived in Bangladesh. He credits you for most of the country's success in archery.
MF: Yeah, it's a nice compliment and valuable feedback for the joint work that we have done.

DS: Despite great success at the Asian level, why do our archers fail to progress past the elimination stages in the world championships?
MF: You are right and I don't close my eyes to it. Archery is developing rapidly in the world and we have to keep up but that takes time. We need to continue to gain experience and compete in high-level international competitions. However, we cannot overlook the little steps, what we did. Yes, Bangladesh counts only medals. That is important, of course, that's what we are aiming for. But for me, again, the little steps are important.

DS: Ruman Sana and Dia Siddique are the faces of Bangladesh's archery. But who is next in the pipeline and who could carry their legacy?
MF: At the moment I see we have, more or less, a good pipeline, especially from BKSP. I think there is a healthy mix of established archers and young aspiring players. And if you talk about legacy, Dia [Siddique] is just 18 and she is at the beginning of her career. I expect Dia to complete at least 10 more years.

DS: Despite the significant improvement, what areas which 'if fixed' can take Bangladesh to a higher level?
MF: The improvements are the result of good teamwork. Teamwork means working together with institutions such as the federation, the executive board, our president and secretary general, government, BOA [ Bangladesh Olympic Association], the organisations, clubs, regions and last but not the least, with the absolute, valuable support from our sponsor City Group.

Let me give you some bullet points [regarding archery's growth]. We need more players, more organisations, clubs and more movement in archery, maybe in schools or whatever.

Another point is the coach's situation in the country. We do not have the national structure still or coaching certification structure we need at the moment. We have an international coaching course and while it's good we have some initiative but still, at the moment, I'm not so happy with the situation. We need a national license certification system for coaches.

Again, we need efficient scouting, promotion and development of talents. Then some athletes are husbands or wives so how we can help them manage the family and job is important. As I mentioned in the beginning, good planning and deep thinking is the key.