Equal importance for studies, sports key: PM

Hot sun and light rain could not stop the joy of thousands of teenagers. On Monday afternoon, they filled the stands at the Bangladesh Army Stadium for the final day of "Notun Kuri Sports 2025-26," the biggest sports competition for young people in the country.

The event started on 2 May in Sylhet. It came to an end in Dhaka with national-level games across eight sports. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman came as the main guest. He sat in the stands to watch the final of the girls' football. Later, he handed out prizes to the winners.

The prime minister told the young players that they are the future of the country. He asked them to do well in sports and studies, care for the environment, and be good human beings.

"We are working to build the country properly," Tarique told the young crowd. "But we can only succeed when you – who are sitting in the stands today and who got awards on the field – prepare yourselves for tomorrow. Now is the time to study with focus, and play with focus too."

The Ministry of Youth and Sports started the Notun Kuri 2025-26 programme.

Its main idea was "If sports become a profession, the family will be safe.” This matches the government's election promises.

The goal was to find new players from local areas. The government also wanted to make a list of 12 to 14 year old boys and girls who play sports. In total, 168,650 young players signed up across the whole country. This included 121,496 boys and 47,154 girls. They played in eight different sports. The huge number of players from the local to the national level made the event very successful.

Before the prize-giving ceremony, the football finals took place. In the boys' game, the Sylhet team won the cup. They beat the Mymensingh team 1-0. Arman Khan Jishan scored the only goal. In the girls' game, the Rangpur team won the cup quite convincingly. They beat the Rajshahi team 4-0. Smriti Kisku scored two goals for Rangpur. Tonwi and Sumaiya each scored one goal.

In his speech, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman told the players to take care of both studies and sports.

"Just as you need to focus on your studies, you must also give equal importance to sports," he said. "The government is working to improve education and sports so that you can grow up in a better place."

He promised that the government would help the kids show their skills. "The government will support every talent, like studies, sports, singing, and drawing," he said. "But it is your job to use this chance and become good citizens."

Tarique praised the winners of this first event. He also thanked their parents, teachers, and coaches.

"Today's kids will make Bangladesh proud in front of the whole world one day," he added. "The experience they get on home grounds will help them win international cups in the future."

Even though the first event just ended on Monday, the second one is already being planned.

Aminul Haque, the State Minister for Youth and Sports, shared the new plans. 

"Online registration for the second event started on 1 July and will go on until August," he said. 

"We plan to officially begin it in the first week of September. This time, the games will start from the union level and include 4,599 unions across the country,” he added.

Aminul said that the next event will be even bigger. 

"We will add volleyball and table tennis to the eight sports, making it 10 sports in total. Step by step, we will also add archery, shooting, and a few more games," he explained.

He also shared a long-term plan to help the best players. 

"About 310 players who won awards this time will get special training at Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishthan (BKSP) for two months," Aminul said.

"From there, the top players will be chosen to join BKSP for free. The government will pay for their sports, studies, and other needs,” he concluded.