Bangladesh Government to support 1,000 Struggling Atheletes cricket bangladesh
The Government would support 1,000 needy athletes in 27 sports who are suffering financially as a consequence of the Coronavirus pandemic, which has caused all sporting practices to stay suspended after mid-March. The Ministry of Youth and Sports said it was the first step in supporting 1,000 suffering athletes with Tk10,000 each in the first phase of the initiative. The decision was made after a meeting in the conference room of the National Sports Council on Wednesday, which was arranged to help the corona of injured athletes.
Jahid Ahsan Russel, Minister of State for Youth and Sports, chaired the meeting and read the findings for the media via a video clip and a press release. The minister said that they are still under discussion on the humanitarian support to athletes and it will be given in a few phases. In the first phase they will help 1,000 athletes from 27 federations who need the most support by providing Tk10,000 to each of them. The list of 1,000 athletes is not yet available.
Kazi Arif Billah, Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, said they requested the respective federations to file the names of the fighting athletes. On March 12, after the Covid-19 was deemed a pandemic, the 9th Bangladesh Games, featuring about 10,000 competitors in 31 sports, scheduled for April, were postponed in order to reduce the possibility of an epidemic. The final round of the Bangabandhu and Bangamata Gold Cup High School Football Competition, one of the biggest in the country, has also been postponed.
Four days later, the government suspended all kinds of sporting events as a safeguard against the spread of coronavirus in the region. Both cricket and football games have been delayed, including the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, the Bangladesh Premier League and several other sporting events. The Minister of State also said that a further initiative had been taken to reward athletes in each of the 64 districts with Tk2,000 each month. He said that letters have been sent to 64 districts to collect names of athletes who needed the aid. Bangladesh Jute Mills Company athletes who lost their employment as a casual worker emerged in the media last month.
Any participants in the Women’s Football League are still currently experiencing financial hardship. There are even more untold tales of other fields. The Bangladesh Cricket Board gave financial assistance to cricketers and teams, while the Bangladesh Athletics Federation also collected funds to aid disabled athletes, coaches and retired players. There have been several specific efforts to support star cricketers Tamim Iqbal and footballers Mamunul Islam and Topu Barman take the lead.
