The Bangladeshi robotics team, set to represent the country at the FIRST Global Challenge 2024 in Athens, Greece, successfully obtained their visas on September 20 after initially being denied by the Greek Embassy in New Delhi.
Thanks to diplomatic efforts by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangladesh, the Greek authorities agreed to reconsider the visa applications, provided the team resubmitted their passports in person. Volunteer Shamsun Nahar took the team’s passports to New Delhi, where the Greek Embassy processed them. By September 20, the visas were approved, and the passports were returned to Bangladesh the next day, as stated in a press release from Tech Academy.
This positive outcome followed the initial rejection of the team’s visa applications on September 13, which cited “unreliable” information regarding their trip’s purpose. The team learned of this decision on September 17, just days before their scheduled departure on September 24, raising concerns.
In a press release, the team expressed gratitude for the diplomatic efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and acknowledged support from the international community, including key individuals such as Areebah, Rashad, Juven Wahid, Dina Hossain, and officials A.F.M. Zahid-ul-Islam and Kazi Russel Pervez.
Mentor Abdullah Al Sharfat commented on the rapid turnaround from rejection to approval, thanking the interim government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Bangladesh embassy staff in New Delhi. He expressed hope for the team’s performance in Greece.
Comprising seven high school students and four adult mentors from The Tech Academy, a Bangladeshi innovation lab, the team has participated in the FIRST Global Challenge since 2017, winning a world championship title in 2020.
The FIRST Global Challenge 2024 will take place in Athens from September 26 to 29, gathering teams from around 190 countries to tackle problems using science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills.
