Bangladesh to send lone shooter to Asian Championships; No entries from Pakistan, China
Cricket ties between the two nations might be at an all time low but Bangladesh will be sending a lone shooter to India to take part in the upcoming Asian Shooting Championships, set to be held at the Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi from February 2-14.
Mohammad Robiul Islam will be taking part in the 10m air rifle event. The 26-year-old, who finished 43rd at the Paris Olympics in 2024, will be accompanied by coach Sharmin Akter. Bangladesh had also planned to send women’s 10m rifle shooter Shaira Arefin and had sent her name for approval by the Indian government but the shooter has withdrawn from the competition.
Doubts had been raised over the participation of Bangladesh’s shooters after the Bangladesh cricket team refused to compete in India for the T20 World Cup. The Bangladesh board had cited security concerns for its refusal to travel after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), acting on instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), dropped pacer Mustafizur Rahman from its squad ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
READ | Asian Championship Rifle/Pistol live streaming: Where to watch the continental shooting competition?
The International Cricket Council (ICC) subsequently replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in that tournament.
Speaking to Bangladeshi media, Bangladesh’s Youth and Sports Secretary Mahbub-Ul-Alam said the two matters (shooting contingent participating in India while cricket team refusing to participate) were separate cases. “Only a two-member contingent is travelling there. The competition venue is fully secured, and the involvement of general spectators is very limited. We have also been assured by the hosts that there is no security threat,” Mahbub said.
While Bangladesh is sending the one rifle shooter to the Asian Championships, neither Pakistan nor heavyweight China is sending teams to New Delhi. At last year’s edition of the Asian Championships in Kazakhstan, Pakistan had sent a 14-member squad while China had sent a 41-member strong contingent.
NRAI general secretary Pawan Singh said neither Pakistan nor China had submitted entries to take part in the competition. “The countries are supposed to make their entries on the ISSF portal following which NRAI seeks clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS). Once we get the go-ahead from the three ministries, we roll out a formal invitation following which the countries begin their visa formalities,” he said.
Pakistani shooters last participated in India at the 2021 World Cup in New Delhi. Singh said that Chinese shooters didn’t submit their entries since the tournament coincided with a major festival. “China has not submitted their entry this year because it’s the Chinese new year (a sixteen day festival that begins on the February 17). They usually don’t travel for any competition at this time,” he told Sportstar.
A total of 311 athletes from 20 countries including India will be taking part in the competition with the host entering the largest squad of 118 athletes. Kazakhstan is fielding the second biggest contingent of 35 athletes.
Published on Feb 02, 2026