‘I spoke up for what’s right and this is my punishment’

Bangla Press Desk: Dipu Chakma, Bangladesh’s taekwondo sensation, feels that he has been punished for revealing the truth.

Dipu, who made history by winning the country’s first-ever South Asian Games gold medal in 2019 in Nepal, has been expelled from the ongoing national training camp on disciplinary ground.

The decision raised quite a few eyebrows and sparked a storm of controversy, allegations, and counterclaims that have shaken the country’s taekwondo fraternity. 

“On October 14, I just made a simple Facebook post welcoming the new coach. Some people commented jokingly, and I replied in a light-hearted way. The next day, they expelled me. That’s all,” Dipu told Daily Sun on Saturday.

He accused federation officials of corruption, nepotism, and revenge politics:

“Since the new committee took over, they’ve been more focused on criticizing past achievements than improving the sport. They even removed photos of our successes from the federation office. And they’ve reinstated officials who were out for 15–20 years due to corruption — like Professor Chanchal.”

“Each athlete was supposed to receive Tk 350 per day — Tk 10,500 a month — plus Tk 750 daily for meals, Tk 3,000 as travel allowance, and Tk 8,000 for training kits. But we got almost nothing. When I questioned it, they gave excuses. Only after all of us protested did they increase it to Tk 9,000. Maybe that’s why I became their target.” 

“I spoke up for what’s right — and this is my punishment,” he added.

Since August, the Bangladesh Taekwondo Federation (BTF) has been running a long-term residential camp ahead of the Asian Youth Games, Islamic Solidarity Games, and South Asian Games. 
Dipu, the face of Bangladeshi taekwondo since his golden triumph in Kathmandu, had been training there — until October 15, when he was suddenly dismissed from the camp.

According to the federation, the decision was made due to “serious disciplinary violations.” BTF officials alleged that Dipu spread misinformation on Facebook about the newly appointed South Korean coach Jun Gyu Choi, led divisions among players, stayed awake through the night, and was even involved in substance abuse.

BTF General Secretary Lt. Colonel Ershadul Haque told The Daily Sun, “Dipu was removed for violating discipline. As he is also a Army soldier, he has been sent back to his army unit for further investigation. Discipline is the foundation of any sport — and without it, even talent loses its value,” said Ershadul.

“He rarely practiced properly, formed cliques among players, and took drugs in camp. Despite repeated chances, he didn’t change. When the new Korean coach arrived on 13 October, Dipu began posting negative comments online. That’s unacceptable for a national athlete. Even if he’s our golden boy, we can’t compromise the team’s discipline,” he said.

 “There are also criminal cases against him. We can’t keep someone who breaks discipline — no matter how talented he is. A bad cow spoils the whole barn.” This article was originally published on the Daily Sun.

BP/ZE