Staff Reporter:
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the government is taking various measures to train players of different sports to make them to international standard as BKSPs are being built in every division.
“It is most important to make the players competent by giving proper training. So, we have been build-ing BKSP in every division. —we have been taking various measures to develop our players as interna-tional standard,” she said.
She was addressing as the chief guest the concluding and prize distribution ceremony of the Sheikh Hasina Interbank Football Tournament-2024 at Bangladesh Army Stadium here in the afternoon.
The tournament was arranged by Bangladesh Association of Banks (BAB) for the second time this year, under overall supervision of the Bangladesh Army.
The Prime Minister said they have taken up some sports to compete at the international level.
She said her government is building BKSP in every division from where players of different sports such as football, cricket, hockey, athletics, shooting, chess, volleyball, weightlifting and swimming, can take appropriate training.
“We have been taking various measures so that our players can be of international standard,” she said.
The Premier said both the male and female players under 19 are now doing good.
“We would be able to show our skill in the international stage when the players will come up gradually (from U-19),” she opined.
She said: “We want Bangladesh to march ahead in all fields, including sports.”
The Prime Minister reiterated her hope that Bangladesh would win the World Cup football in future.
She thanked all concerned, especially Bangladesh Army and BAB, for successfully arranging the tour-nament.
The tournament will introduce a new era in football, she said.
The Premier asked the BAB to arrange such tournaments of other sports.
After witnessing the second half of the final match between Islami Bank PLC and Standard Bank PLC in the stadium, the Premier distributed trophies, prizes and medals among the members of the champion and runner-up and third teams of tournament.
The Islami Bank clinched the title defeating Standard Bank by 2-0 goal.
The 31 banks taking part in the tournament gave salute to the Prime Minister one after another in a pro-cession.
The Premier earlier witnessed a colorful cultural program.
An audio-visual documentary on the government measures for the overall development of football was screened at the program.
Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman and BAB Chairman Md. Nazrul Islam Mazumder also spoke on the occasion.
Minister for Youth and Sports Nazmul Hassan, PM’s Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman Fazlur Rahman and Bangladesh Bank Governor Abdur Rouf Talukder, among others, were present at the prize distribution ceremony.
Sheikh Hasina congratulated the winning team and other participants, saying “Win or lost is not im-portant, but taking part in the competition. There will be win or lost in sports. But, competitiveness and willingness in sports are the most important things.”
The Prime Minister said football is very popular sports not in Bangladesh but also across the globe.
She said her grandfather, father and brothers were football players and now grandchildren are playing football.
Mentioning that Euro Cup Football and Copa American Football tournaments are now being held, she said she saw some matches of the tournaments managing time from her busy schedule.
The Prime Minister reiterated her vow of taking Bangladesh ahead towards development and prosperity at indomitable pace.
She gave a brief description of the measures taken by her government for the socio-economic advance-ment and for transforming Bangladesh into a developed, prosperous and smart country by 2041 that will be free from hunger and poverty.
The Premier said they have built Digital Bangladesh, made economic development and reduced poverty rate to 18.7 percent and extreme poverty to 5.6 percent.
“InshaAllah, there will be no hardcore poor in Bangladesh,” she said.
