Syed Shahed Reza: From Drug Addict to BOA Doyen

 
A document signed by former Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader dated 24.07.2023 shows Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) Secretary General Syed Shahed Reza as a member of Bangladesh Awami League International Affairs Sub Committee. The funniest thing is that Syed Shahed Reza's name was prefixed by the word "Ambassador". Only career diplomats can be referred as Ambassadors. Syed Shahed Reza was not a career diplomat at all. Rather he managed to work as Bangladesh Ambassador to Kuwait for a few years with utter disrepute and incompetence which embarrassed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) over and over again.

Syed Shahed Reza has been still able to cling to the Secretary General post in BOA though the Awami League regime ended on 5 August 2024. Syed Shahed Reza built up a brazen empire of corruption, anarchy and nepotism in BOA while ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was in power from 2009 to 2024. Syed Shahed Reza had close alliance with Sheikh Hasina, branded plunderer Salman F Rahman and notorious bank fraudster S. Alam. Syed Shahed Reza made explicit allusions to Sheikh Hasina and Salman F Rahman to intimidate his opponents every now and then.

More unfortunately, ethically bankrupt officials like Syed Shahed Reza often cited his hand-in-glove relations with higher officials of Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) and thus he could very tactfully subdue his critics. A veteran politician who is also a heroic freedom fighter and a frontline leader in the Glorious August Revolution told The Asian Age on condition of anonymity that the ex Prime Minister's Office (PMO) enabled thugs and crooks like Syed Shahed Reza, Salman F Rahman, S. Alam, Nazrul Islam Mazumder etcetera to misuse DGFI top officials' names in a commoditified way. The country's most vital intelligence force was knocked down to the ditch of a cheap consumer product by Syed Shahed Reza and his accomplices, luckless it may sound though.

Allegations show that Syed Shahed Reza remains drunk most of the time, both at his office and at his home head over heels. Moreover, he is reportedly a widely known drug addict in Bangladesh's sports arena. For this reason he quite frequently acts in an insensible way. Unfit, useless and immoral people like Syed Shahed Reza was allowed to ruin the country's sports platforms years after years with direct collaboration from Sheikh Hasina and her cohorts.

Syed Shahed Reza was also seen present in exclusive programs such as the special ceremony of adorning Generals with ranks and badges, according to television reports and online news portals. Syed Shahed Reza's presence in the above events was a shameless and loathsome violation of military protocol.

Syed Shahed Reza spoiled the capital city's aristocratic clubs including Dhaka Club itself with unethical shenanigans. A number of athletes have challenged that Syed Shahed Reza's narcotics addiction can be very easily identified through a dope test.

Most of the officials who were loyal to Syed Shahed Reza have escaped or gone into hiding following Sheikh Hasina's downfall from power on 5 August 2024. So many changes and reshuffles have been made by the interim government for more than three weeks, but nothing happened to Syed Shahed Reza which sounds very mysterious. Renowned, dedicated and dynamic sports organizers have stated that Bangladesh Olympic Association needs to be immediately cleaned up by throwing out toxic nuisances like Syed Shahed Reza to protect youths and sports from further aggravation.