IUB becomes inter-university table tennis champion

Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) became champion in the elite-level men’s team category at the Inter-University Table Tennis Fest 2026, while a female IUB student finished fourth in the elite-level women’s singles event.

The two-day tournament was organised by the Bangladesh Table Tennis Federation at the Shaheed Taj Uddin Ahmed Indoor Stadium in Dhaka on February 16–17, 2026, says a press release.

A total of 174 male and 36 female players from 36 universities took part in the competition, including several nationally ranked players.

The IUB men’s team defeated Dhaka University in the final to win the title. On their way to the championship, IUB beat Daffodil International University in the semi-finals and American International University-Bangladesh in the quarter-finals. The team received a trophy and prize money of Tk 15,000.

The IUB men’s team comprised Ramhimlian Bawm (Social Sciences and Humanities), Rifat Mahmud Sabbir (Media and Communication), MD Talha (Computer Science and Engineering), Talukdar MD Abdullah (Computer Science and Engineering), and Mohammad Zubair Khan Pritom (Marketing).

In the women’s singles elite category, Mst Empa Khatun (Social Sciences and Humanities), a resident of Saima Hall, finished fourth after competing against players from Jagannath University and Dhaka University. Sharmin Islam Shroddha (Computer Science and Engineering) reached the quarter-finals. The other member of the women’s team was Sadia Tabassum Shawon (Microbiology).

The prize-giving ceremony was held on February 17, 2026, at the Shaheed Taj Uddin Ahmed Indoor Stadium. The event was sponsored by Turaag Active.

The IUB teams were coached by senior coach Md Hafizur Rahman, assisted by coach Md Kamruzzaman. The teams’ participation was coordinated by IUB’s Division of Student Activities.

Ramhimlian Bawm is a former men’s singles national champion (2020) and a boys’ team champion at the South Asian Junior Championship 2022. Rifat Mahmud Sabbir previously won gold in a national-level men’s singles event in 2020 and represented Bangladesh in the men’s team event at the Commonwealth Games 2022.