Just five days made a big difference for sprinter Zahir Raihan. On April 11, he won the 2024 Best Athlete Award from the Bangladesh Krira Lekhak Samity. But only four days later, on Wednesday night, the Bangladesh Athletics Federation banned him from all athletics for six months.
The federation said Zahir hurt their reputation and broke discipline rules. Their general secretary, Shah Alam, signed the notice.
Zahir had been chosen to replace Ismail, a top indoor sprinter, in a recent competition in China. After being knocked out in the heats, Zahir told the media that he trained using his own money. But the federation says he trained under his team, the Navy, and that his comments damaged their image.
Zahir was also part of the national team camp for the SAFF Athletics Championship. After returning from China, he joined the camp, but didn’t come back after Eid. Instead of staying at the official Army Stadium camp, he trained at BKSP. The federation informed his team, but hasn’t received a response yet.
Zahir Raihan was given a show-cause notice by the Athletics Federation for staying at BKSP without attending the training camp. But he didn’t reply. After looking into everything, the Federation banned him from all athletics for 6 months. This is his second big warning.
Zahir, one of the country’s top sprinters, competed in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Later, he was jailed for personal reasons. On December 9, 2021, the Federation suspended him because of a case involving bad behavior and abuse. After the court process, Zahir promised not to repeat such actions. The Federation then lifted the ban.
After returning, Zahir performed well in the 400 meters and even won silver at the 2024 Asian Indoor Athletics in Iran. He became one of the best athletes in the country again. But now, after this new ban, his career is in trouble once more. Zahir didn’t comment today but said he will hold a press conference soon to share his side and talk about the Federation’s actions.
