Cyclist Rakibul cleared to embark on World Duathlon journey

National gold medal-winning cyclist Rakibul Islam is finally heading to the Powerman Duathlon World Championships 2023 in Switzerland after resolving visa and sponsorship issues, the 30-year-old confirmed to The Daily Star on Thursday.

Online shopping platform Daraz and tyre company CST Tyre have decided to sponsor Rakibul on his journey, while the Swiss Embassy helped expedite his visa application as an exception case.

Rakibul is the first Bangladeshi athlete who has qualified to participate in this world event. He is also the only invited contestant from the South Asian countries this year.

"This is the first time someone from Bangladesh will be participating in this event. My competitors in the competition are the best of the best. Hence, I don't have much expectations but I will share my experiences of competing in the event after coming back to the country.

"With that, the courage that I will gain from this event will encourage me to do well on the global stage. I want to represent Bangladesh in next year's SAFF Games. No one from Bangladesh participated in the last edition of the competition," Rakibul told The Daily Star.

The Powerman Duathlon World Championships is a long-distance competition held in Zofingen, Switzerland. One of the toughest sports competitions in the world, the Duathlon World Championships features a 10-km run, followed by a 150-km cycling race and then a 30-km run -- all in the hilly areas.

This world event will be held on September 2-3 where Rakibul is supposed to compete against selected athletes (160 to 170) from around the world. But Rakibul's trip to Switzerland has become uncertain.

The championship authorities sent an invitation letter to Rakibul on July 13, but Rakibul had to deal with a lot of issues to apply for the visa and manage all the necessary documents and sponsors.

He applied for a Schengen visa on August 8, but was informed by the Swiss Embassy that there is no date (slot) left for the visa interview until September 11. The embassy said that he had to apply at least 15 days in advance to get a Schengen visa.

Asked why the visa application was delayed, Rakibul said, "Many documents are required to participate in this competition. No objection letter from my authority (Chittagong Sports Authority), World Champions Race License issued by World Triathlon Organization (WTO), sponsor confirmation, race insurance and several other official documents, including notarisation of civil status, needed to be collected.

"In addition, due to the recent floods, travelling from Khagrachari to Dhaka or Chittagong has become very difficult. Along with this, we have to pay the event registration fee. The credit card from the country can pay a maximum of 300 dollars at a time. But the fee is 410 dollars. So, I had to buy coupons and stick those together for the registration," Rakibul said.

"Also, bank statements of me and my sponsor are required. It is very difficult for me to get a sponsor. However, on August 9, I managed a sponsor but they were not able to pay for the full expenditure, leaving me in big trouble at the last stage," added Rakibul.

The Daily Star did a report on Rakibul's situation on August 11 after which the 30-year-old sent a letter to the Swiss ambassador with an attached copy of the news. The Swiss Embassy responded to his request and expedited it, allowing him a slot for the visa on August 17. He was eventually issued a visa on August 21.