‘We are progressing, not regressing’

Former shooter Inthekhabul Hamid has been at the helm of the BSSF for the past 10 years as secretary-general and he spoke to The Daily Star's Anisur Rahman about the discipline's past, present and future.

The Daily Star (DS): How busy are you with the BSSF activities?

Inthekhabul Hamid (IH): We are now in a good shape. Recently we grabbed some medals from the ISSF Grand Prix in Indonesia. We have now resumed training camp in a bid to get more international medals.

DS: The ad-hoc committee was formed almost one-and-half years ago. What did the committee do for the development of shooting in that period?

IH: We signed a foreign coach. There are 16 events in shooting but we take part only in eight. We can increase opportunities to win medals by participating in other events. We have started 50m events to create opportunities to win medals.

DS: Are there any internal conflicts among BSSF officials like before?

IH: There was once conflict among officials but now it is zero.

DS: Does the BSSF have any future goals similar to what it had set ahead of the 2020 Olympics?

IH: Keeping the 2024 Olympics ahead, we have brought in an Iranian Rifle coach, who has the experience of helping many shooters win medals at the international level. Before the 2024 Olympics, there are also other events such as the Asian Games and South Asian Games. We believe if the shooters do well in the pre-Olympic Games, then they will perform well at the Olympics. We have given the Iranian coach a target of bringing a medal from the Asian Games and we are working according to his recommendations.

DS: You have been involved with shooting for the past 10 years. What has been your experience?

IH: Shooting is going to be tougher after the changes in rules and regulations. Before there was a paper target and a shooter could hit 10 out of 10, but then it became even more precise. But I agree that we could not progress at the pace that was expected and that happened because of financial constraints. Nevertheless, we are progressing, not regressing.

DS: Do you agree that lack of shooters in pipeline is one of the major reasons behind the failure?

IH: Yes, I agree. We have changed our policy to strengthen the pipeline. If we can implement it, I believe it will be a big step towards development.

DS: Bangladesh once grabbed gold medals from the Commonwealth Games, but it can't even win gold in the South Asian Games now. Why?

IH: It is because of India, who have a Rs 150-crore budget per year for shooting whereas we get only Tk 15 lakh from the government. The level of Indian shooters is very high. It is not that they reached this level overnight. They came this far by investing a lot over the past 15 years. We once beat India regularly but they have gone beyond our reach. Our shooters can't compete against Olympic medallists from India in the South Asian Games. Actually, we need uninterrupted training round the year and consistent performances if we want to win a gold medal from the SA Games.

DS: You say the government provides only Tk 15 lakh per year but your monthly expenditures are about Tk 25 lakh. How do you manage the rest of the money?

IH: Now we need Tk 20 to 25 lakh per month and the deficit comes from sponsors and donors. If we don't increase the monthly expenditure to Tk 50 lakh, it will be hard to win international medals in future. If we can make an international venue capable of hosting the Asian Championships or World Cup in Bangladesh, then Bangladesh shooting will enter a new level and get the right momentum.