Bangladesh archery team returns home with 10 medals from Sulaymaniyah, received with flowers at the airport

Bangladesh's national archery team has returned home with a total of 10 medals — 3 gold, 3 silver and 4 bronze — from the Asia Cup Archery World Ranking Tournament, Stage-2, 2026, held in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq.

The team arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 4:45am on Sunday (1 November). The archers were received with flowers by Bangladesh Archery Federation president and World Archery Asia president Kazi Rajib Uddin Ahmed Chapal.

Present at the airport were Md Mahfuzul Alam Khan, acting secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, federation general secretary Tanvir Ahmed, joint secretary Md Rubel Hossain and Sohel Rana, along with other sports officials.

At the competition held in Sulaymaniyah from 24 to 29 October, Bangladesh's archers proved their skill in both the recurve and compound divisions.

The most notable success of this edition came in the recurve men's team event. Bangladesh beat Kazakhstan 6-2 in set points to win a gold medal at the Asia Cup for the first time. The team of Abdur Rahman Alif, Md Sagor Islam and Abdullah Al Mohammad Rafi brought the country this historic achievement.

Bangladesh also won gold in the compound women's team event. The team of Bonna Akter, Sreeporna Biswas and Kulsum Akter Moni beat Kazakhstan 230-220 to secure the title.

In the compound women's individual event, Bonna Akter beat Kazakhstan's Milana Burleva 145-143 to win gold. It was her first individual gold medal at the Asia Cup.

On returning home, Bonna Akter said this achievement would inspire her to dream bigger. She said this success would motivate her to do well at events such as the World Cup, the World Championship and the Olympics. The gold-winning archers of the recurve men's team described their achievement as the result of long hard work and expressed hope of bigger success on the world stage in future.

Team manager Tajul Hossain Bappi stressed the need to increase international-standard preparation and opportunities to compete regularly. In his view, a sport like archery, which depends on concentration and mental strength, requires a favourable training environment, adequate practice and regular participation in international competition to produce good results.

Head coach Martin Frederick said this squad included a significant number of young archers. The team was formed with the aim of giving under-21 and under-18 players international experience. He believes the experience of playing a final before a large crowd in an international setting will help increase the young players' confidence and skill.

Md Mahfuzul Alam Khan, acting secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, said about 300 athletes are being given a monthly sports allowance of 100,000 taka each to ensure the financial security of talented players. Through talent hunts at the grassroots level, the government is taking responsibility for the education and training of selected players at BKSP.

He also said an initiative has been taken for federations to prepare year-round training plans in line with the annual calendar of international competitions. The government's goal, the acting secretary noted, is not only to take part in international events, but to build the capacity to win medals.