Bangladesh Approves Shooting Team’s Travel to India, Cites No Security Risks Amid T20 World Cup Dispute
Rifle shooters to compete in Asian Championships after government rules no security risks
New Delhi, Jan 29: The Bangladesh government on Wednesday approved the travel of its shooting team to India for the Asian Rifle and Pistol Championships, scheduled at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi from February 2 to 14. The decision comes weeks after Bangladesh declined to send its cricket team to the T20 World Cup in India, citing security concerns.
Bangladesh will be represented by two rifle shooters: 21 year old women’s rifle athlete Arefin Shaira and 26 year old Olympian Md Robiul Islam. Both will compete in the 10m air rifle individual events and later pair up for the mixed team competition.
National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) Secretary Rajiv Bhatia confirmed that the Bangladesh shooters are expected to participate. “Their team is coming, no doubt about it. The Ministry of External Affairs has cleared the visit and the Indian embassy will process visas,” Bhatia told PTI.
The Bangladesh government, through the Youth and Sports Ministry, issued a formal order clearing the tour. Officials noted that the indoor shooting venue is secure and poses “no significant security risks,” distinguishing it from the concerns raised during the T20 World Cup decision.
Bangladesh’s withdrawal from the T20 World Cup followed the exclusion of pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the 2026 IPL squad by KKR, leading the Bangladesh Cricket Board to request rescheduling of its matches to Sri Lanka a proposal the ICC rejected. Scotland was named as Bangladesh’s replacement in the tournament.
The ICC confirmed there was no verifiable security threat to players or officials in India and deemed a schedule change impractical, highlighting the contrast between the cricket and shooting events in terms of security assessment.
