Sports advisor confirms UAE’s support for sports hubs in eight divisions

The Youth and Sports Ministry of Bangladesh has confirmed plans to establish sports hubs in eight divisions across the country, with support from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

This long-awaited initiative aims to decentralise sports facilities and provide better opportunities for athletes nationwide.

The announcement was made by Youth and Sports Advisor Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan during an event celebrating National and International Sports Day. The event, which included a friendly football match for underprivileged children at the National Stadium, saw the advisor speak about the upcoming project.

"We have long been considering the creation of a central sports village. As part of our efforts to decentralise sports, we have decided to establish sports hubs in eight divisions across Bangladesh. The UAE will be assisting us with this initiative," said Sajib Bhuiyan.

While initial discussions were held with China regarding the project, the final collaboration was established with the UAE. "When the Chief Advisor, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, visited the UAE, we discussed the matter with him. Following this, the UAE expressed interest in supporting the project," he added.

The Ministry is currently working on finalising the specifics of the project, including the budget. "We are in the process of determining the final cost and will inform the public once the amount is confirmed. We are hopeful that work will begin in the next financial year," he explained.

At present, the BKSP is Bangladesh's only dedicated sports institution, but it has struggled to produce athletes at an international level due to its limitations. To address this, Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan had previously proposed the creation of a Sports Institute, and a committee has been formed to explore this. However, it remains unclear whether the Sports Institute will be funded through this project.

In addition, many sports federations, with the exception of cricket and shooting, are based around the National Stadium. However, there are no dedicated venues for many of these sports, and some federations lack office spaces. The sports advisor assured that steps are being taken to resolve these issues, saying, "There was a piece of land in Gulshan that had been encroached upon. We have resolved the legal complications, and we are now working on providing offices and sports facilities for the indoor sports federations at that location."

The National Sports Council (NSC) is also working on reforms within various sports federations and local-level committees. After the announcement of the Archery Federation's committee, there were some tensions, with the convenor of the search committee, Zobaidur Rahman Rana, threatening to resign. This prompted changes in the committee. Commenting on this, the sports advisor noted, "There has been some lack of coordination. We had a policy decision that no one should hold the highest position for more than two terms. Changes have been made in the committee based on this. We are coordinating with the search committee. The committee will propose its recommendations to the Ministry, but it is not the final proposal. The Ministry will make the final decision."