Jannat Begum opened up to The Daily Star about the federation’s decision, the resulting loss of her livelihood, the public humiliation she has faced, and more.

The cases are believed to be the first of their kind in Bangladesh athletics, bringing a global debate over female-category eligibility rules into the country's sporting landscape.

Swapna bagged the gold medal after she cleared 6.25 metres, surpassing the previous record of 6.06 set by former national athlete Foujia Huda Jui at the South Asian Games in 2004.

Imranur recorded 6.71 seconds in Heat 2 at Kujawy Pomorze, falling 0.09 seconds short of qualifying for the semifinals.

World Athletics has provided a grant of USD 30,000 after BAF submitted a proposal to strengthen athletics at the grassroots. The federation has also allocated Tk 15 lakh to support the project.

BKSP athletes alone set 10 of the 13 new records, with the remaining three coming from Noakhali, Ansar & VDP athletes.

As many as 500 athletes from different districts, divisions, educational boards and BKSP are expected to vie for 42 events.

“We are also expecting another wild card in swimming within a couple of days,” BOA treasurer AK Sarkar told The Daily Star today.

All three medal holders hail from Bangladesh Army.