Sprinter Zahir Rayhan handed six-month suspension for misleading statements

Bangladesh sprinter Zahir Rayhan, who won the gold medal in the 400m sprint at the last National Athletics Championships, has been handed a six-month ban for misleading the media and withholding information, the Bangladesh Athletics Federation (BAF) announced on 16 April 2025.

The decision was made following a meeting of the BAF's executive committee. The suspension comes after Rayhan's comments to a national Bangla daily, where he claimed that he had not received adequate training before competing at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in China, where he failed to progress beyond the heats.

In response to Rayhan's statements, the BAF issued a clarification, stating that Rayhan had been part of the national training camp prior to travelling to China and had also trained with his service team ahead of the National Athletics Championships. The BAF further explained that Rayhan had not returned to the national camp after the Eid vacation and had instead requested that his training be arranged at the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan (BKSP), citing inadequate facilities at the national camp.

The BAF also issued a show-cause notice to Rayhan, requesting a response within three days of receiving the letter, but the national record holder failed to reply.

This is not Rayhan's first suspension, as he had previously served a six-month ban in 2021.