Home
+
Published : 25 Apr 2026, 06:20 PM
Bagha Sharif of Cumilla has secured a hat-trick championship title at the historic Abdul Jabbar-er Boli Khela in Chattogram.
On Saturday, Sharif emerged victorious in the 117th edition of the prestigious wrestling competition by defeating Md Rashed, who also hails from Cumilla.
This marks the third consecutive time the two wrestlers faced off in the final, with Sharif maintaining his dominance in the arena.
A total of 108 wrestlers (Bolis) from across the country, including Chattogram and other regions, participated in this year’s event to showcase their strength and skill in traditional sand-court wrestling.
The traditional wrestling competition took place at its ancestral home, the Laldighi Maidan.
The event was inaugurated by Chattogram Metropolitan Police Commissioner Hasan Md Showkat Ali, while Mohammad Abu Sufian, member of parliament from the Chattogram-9 constituency, distributed prises among the winners.
The reigning champion and runner-up, Sharif and Rashed, were granted direct entry into the quarter-finals, along with two other top-four finishers from the previous year.
They were joined by qualifiers Nurul Islam (Narayanganj), Mamun (Bagerhat), Dipu (Cumilla), and Mithu (Savar), identified by their single names.
In the knockout stages of the Boli Khela, the quarter-finals saw Sharif overcome Dipu, while Rashed defeated Mamun. Mithu beat Kamal, and former semi-finalist Shahjalal took down Nurul.
In the semi-finals, Sharif eased past Shahjalal to secure his place in the final, and Rashed joined him after defeating Mithu in the second semi-final.
In the third-place match, Mithu clinched the third spot after a gruelling 17-minute encounter, defeating Shahjalal, the champion of the 114th edition.
The tournament dates back to 1909, when local merchant Abdul Jabbar Sawdagar first organised the event to physically and mentally prepare the region’s youth for the anti-British movement.
Since then, it has been held annually on the 12th of Baishakh.
While the "Bolis" (wrestlers) range from teenagers to men in their 70s, many participants noted that they compete for the love of the sport and tradition rather than as a profession.
The Boli Khela is traditionally accompanied by a massive three-day folk fair spanning 1.5km around Laldighi.
Due to the ongoing SSC examinations, the fair's duration was reduced to two days this year to minimise disruption for students.
Despite the shorter timeframe, the fair remained a vibrant hub for traditional crafts. Artisans from across the country arrived with handmade clay pottery, wooden and bamboo furniture, hand fans, fishing tools, and seasonal saplings.
