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Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Sports Award 1999

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December 14, 2000 

Dhaka-- (UNB) – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday hoped the country will achieve more success in international sports arena and will be able to enhance “our prestigious identity” in the world as a skilled, sports-loving nation.

“We earned victory in the independence war, why shall we remain backward in sports?” she said and expressed her determination to raise the standard of sports at international level by creating an environment for development of sports.

Addressing the National Sports Award distribution ceremony of 1999 at the Osmany Memorial Hall, the Prime Minister said these days, all types of sports have become very expensive. The government wants to go forward by selecting some specific games where the country is likely to do well in world competition.

“We will select some games on priority basis and give emphasis on those considering our prospects and strength to make real progress and to take a dignified place in the international sports arena,” she said.

In this regard, Hasina called upon the sports personalities and the affluent section of the society to patronise sports and help groom sportsmen for attaining success.

For the year 1999, the Prime Minister handed over the national sports award - a gold medal and a cheque of Tk 20,000 to each of the 10 recipients.

The award recipients are: Abdur Rakib Khandoker (sports organiser), Anwarul Kabir (cricket), Syed Aftab Hossain (cricket), Sheikh Ashraf Ali (football), Subedar Mohammad Mosharaff Hossain (boxing), Qamrunnahar Dana (badminton), Kazi Shahana Parveen (shooting), Syed Marium Tarek (badminton), Begum Jobera Rahman Linu (table tennis) and Rakibuddin Ahmed (hokey - posthumous).

State Minister for Sports and Cultural Affairs Obaidul Qader and Sports Secretary Manik Lal Samaddar also spoke at the function.

The Prime Minister said that to achieve international standard in sports, the nation would have to go forward adopting the scientific process. Without proper application of sports science, it is not possible to take a place in the world sports.

For achieving progress in sports, the present government has taken a number of effective steps, she said and mentioned the increase of budget for sports, block allocation and other special initiatives.

“We’ve taken steps for giving modern and science-based training to the prospective players selecting them from grassroots level under the programme for searching and developing sports talent,” she added.

Mentioning some successes in sports, particularly in cricket, the Prime Minister said the government has taken up various types of programmes for developing the sports infrastructure and to continue attaining further success.

“Meanwhile, we’ve announced the National Sports Policy and adopted realistic guidelines for the development of sports,” she said.

The government has allocated Tk 328 crore for sports in the Fifth Five-Year Plan and taken some big projects, including construction of stadium and swimming pool.