Aminul promises long-term plan for sporting success

Bangladesh has launched a comprehensive, long-term plan to establish sports as a viable profession and unearth grassroots talent, shifting its focus from merely participating in global events to fighting for international medals.

State Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque outlined this vision during the Cute-DRU Sports Festival prize-giving ceremony at the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU). Chaired by DRU president Abu Saleh Akon, the event included general secretary Moinul Hasan Sohel, sports secretary Omar Faruque Rubel, National Sports Council director Zahid Parvez Chowdhury and Athletics Federation president Abdullah Zaber. The festival was sponsored by Mousumi Industries Ltd.

Aminul assured athletes that his doors are always open to solve sporting crises. To strengthen professionalism, the government has allocated an annual budget of tk60 cores for sports allowances. 

Around 300 athletes currently receive this stipend, with 200 more set to be added by the end of the month. The minister confirmed that qualified referees and coaches will also receive these financial benefits, a move designed to encourage youth and their parents to view sports as a genuine career.

Highlighting the 'Notun Kuri Sports' grassroots programme, the minister revealed that online registrations jumped from 168,000 in the first edition to over 1.5 million in the second. Starting 19 September, 306 standout athletes from the maiden campaign will begin a two-month training camp at the national sports institute, with the best earning state-funded education and long-term training.

To integrate sports into the education system, a mandatory textbook titled 'Sports' will be introduced for Class 4 students from 2027. "The writing is almost finished, and we are reviewing it for errors," Aminul explained. "I am not saying we will change everything overnight, but in two to five years, we will start seeing the benefits of these initiatives."

As athletes prepare to leave for the Asian Games in Japan, the minister stressed a change in sporting philosophy. He dismissed the outdated practice of hiring foreign coaches just a month before a tournament and expecting instant magic.

"We no longer want to participate in major events like the Asian Games or Olympics just for the sake of it; we want to fight for medals," Aminul declared. 

Moving forward, athletes across 13 to 14 targeted disciplines will undergo year-round training. "We are starting from zero. Our goal is to prepare athletes who can challenge for podiums in the next five to ten years."