Bangladesh is a South Asian country bordered by Burma and India. It has a great love of sports and is their main form of entertainment. The traditional sport on the Bangladeshi culture is called Kabaddi which is a contact sport that originated from India. It is a great pastime and was even used by the British Army both for fun and to recruit soldiers from the Asian communities.
Recently though, Bangladesh has come to love playing cricket which has gained national notoriety. The popularity of cricket started when their Bangladesh national cricket team took the ICCP Trophy in 1997 which then made them qualify for the 1999 Cricket World Cup which was mostly held in England. In 2011, Bangladesh co-hosted the Cricket World Cup along with Sri Lanka and India.
Other popular games in Bangladesh include football, hockey and even chess. As a matter of fact, Bangladesh has produced many of the world’s best chess players like Niaz Murshed, the first grandmaster out South Asia (1987).
Although Bangladesh has participated in all seven Summer Olympic Games since 1984, sadly, they have never won any medals. It is one of the most populous countries that are yet to receive a single Olympic victory.
Below are details of sports, sporting events and sports people related to Bangladesh. Is there something missing? If you know of something that should be listed here, please let us know.
Popular sports of Bangladesh
- Cricket, Football (soccer), hockey (field)
Traditional or Regional Sports
- Kabaddi — a "raider" enters the opposite team's half to tag opponents without taking a breath.
- Boli Khela — a full contact combat sport in which the fighters use techniques like clinching, throwing, joint locking, pinning holds, and several other grappling holds.
Bangladesh Sporting Success
Great athletes from Bangladesh
Bangladesh Sports trivia
- Bangladesh is the most populous country to never win an Olympic medal.
Bangladesh at major events
- Bangladesh at the Summer Olympics
- Bangladesh at the Commonwealth Games
- Bangladesh at the Cricket World Cup
- Bangladesh at the Cricket T20 World Cup
Past sporting events hosted in Bangladesh
- 2011 Cricket World Cup hosted in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan & Sri Lanka
- 2014 Men's T20 World Cup hosted by Bangladesh
- 2014 Women's T20 World Cup
Upcoming sporting events in Bangladesh
- 2031 Cricket World Cup (1-Day) co-hosted with India
Annual sporting events held in Bangladesh
Sporting Facilities in Bangladesh
Is there something missing? If you know of something that should be listed here, please let me know.