Two TT players set to be banned 

Bangladesh Women Table Tennis players Sadia Rahman and Sonam Sultana are set to be banned from domestic and international competitions for choosing to sit out their encounter against England in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in Birmingham earlier this month citing injury.

The duo missed their match against England on August 5, left the village and went on a tour to London as their opponents were given a walkover. For this offence, they are set to see a ban of two years from domestic competitions and will not be able to participate in international competitions for three years, Bangladesh Table Tennis Federation announced on Tuesday.

On August 4, the night before the match, Sonam did get injured but it was later revealed by the general secretary of the TT Federation, Jahangir Alam, that Sonam could’ve been fit for the match upon proper treatment and adequate rest.

“On the night before the match, we took Sonam to the doctor, who assured us that she would be able to play if she is given proper treatment and takes complete rest. On that basis, we even had a team meeting,” Jahangir told a national online daily on Tuesday.

Jahangir was at the village when the players left for London and said that he asked them not to leave the village but they went anyways.

“Since we’ve given them (England) the walkover, I told them to stay in the village. But they didn’t listen to me,” he said.

The Federation decided to issue a ban on Sadia and Sonam in an executive meeting on Saturday. The duo were issued a show-cause notice by the Federation, which gave them 72 hours to explain themselves and respond to the allegations.

Sonam, on the other hand, denied the allegations saying they had stayed in the village and have proof of their stay at that time. She also revealed that she hadn’t received any letter from the federation regarding her ban.

“We were in the games village. We didn’t go anywhere. We have all the proof that we stayed at the village. I don’t know why the federation decided despite knowing all this. Besides, I haven’t received any letter from the federation regarding this. I am prepared to give my answer,” she said.