Prime minister Tarique Rahman on Monday said that the government had launched sports allowance aiming to eliminate the financial uncertainty that often forces talented individuals to abandon athletic careers.
‘We believe that today sports is not just a hobby, entertainment, or physical exercise, but is being recognised as a profession all over the world. Bangladesh will not be left behind,’ he said at national sports allowance and sports card launching programme at Shapla Hall of the prime minister’s office.
The prime minister launched the initiative electronically transferring Tk 1 lakh to the bank accounts of 129 athletes, bringing athletes from 20 disciplines under a formal state salary structure for the first time in the country’s history.
He also said state broadcaster Bangladesh Television will launch a nationwide youth talent hunt named Notun Kuri Sports, beginning in Sylhet on April 30.
Notun Kuris Sports is the first of this kind of initiative by the Bangladesh government.
For long-term athletic development, the prime minister announced plans to revise the national education curriculum to make sports mandatory starting from the fourth grade.
Tarique Rahman said the government has already introduced family cards and honorariums for the Imams and other religious leaders and will launch a Farmers Card next month.
State minister for youth and sports Aminul Haque told reporters after the event that the government plans to enroll 500 athletes in the programme within the next seven days.
The allowance fulfills a manifesto pledge made ahead of the 2026 national elections to establish sports as a viable profession, he said.
The programme covers both able-bodied and physically challenged athletes in sports including futsal, kabaddi, volleyball, and archery.
Cricketers are excluded from the system because the national cricket board operates independently.
The event displayed a documentary screening highlighting the historical sports contributions of former president Ziaur Rahman, former prime minister Khaleda Zia and Arafat Rahman.
LGRD minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir attended the event as the guest of honour alongside other senior government officials.
