Govt vows support for women athletes' development

Dhaka, 6 Sept - State Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque has pledged government's all-out support for the development of women athletes and the expansion of women's participation in sports across the country.

He made the remarks at the closing and prize-giving ceremony of the Inter-Divisional Under-16 Girls' Football Competition held at the Shaheed Ria Gop Women's Sports Complex in Dhanmondi today.

"We want our women athletes to spread across every region of the country. We are determined to play a special role in advancing women's progress," he said.

"By taking sports forward, women will move far beyond their family, social and national boundaries. This is what we believe."

To achieve this goal, the government is committed to "provide all support to women athletes", he further said.

Tangail emerged champions of the tournament, beating Rangamati 5-1 in the final. The competition featured teams from 14 districts.

Aminul, the chief guest at the ceremony, handed over trophies to the players of the champion and runners-up teams and reiterated the government's commitment to promoting women's sports.

The state minister said: "The government would devise an effective action plan to make proper use of sports infrastructure across the country, including women's sports complexes."

He said the government is determined to give equal importance to sports for both boys and girls.

"Our women will not remain restricted to their homes or limited to specific playing fields. They will spread across Bangladesh," Aminul said.

Having said, he hopes that the talented female athletes from marginalised and remote areas would bring pride to their families and the country in the international stage.

President of the Women's Sports Association Barrister Sarwat Siraj Shukla, General Secretary Sharmin Akhter Ratna and other officials of the organisation were also present at the ceremony.bss