Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Thursday handed over offer letters for admission to the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan (BKSP) to 40 young athletes participating in the “Notun Kuri Sports” competition.
He handed over the letters at the inaugural ceremony of the second season of the competition at Khulna District Stadium in the afternoon, said Prime Minister's Assistant Press Secretary Abdullah Al Mahmud Shahriar.
The opening ceremony featured colourful cultural performances by young BKSP trainees, including regional and folk dances, songs and physical exercises, alongside traditional Chinese dragon and lion dances.
Children and adolescents seated in the stadium galleries applauded the performers, while the prime minister watched the program from the stage and joined in the applause.
A group of students from Yunnan Minzu University in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China, performed the dragon and lion dances as part of sports and cultural diplomacy between Bangladesh and China, Shahriar said.
The BKSP and the Chinese university have an ongoing sports training exchange program.
Under the program, BKSP coaches provide cricket training to students of the Chinese university, while its coaches train BKSP students in wushu, a traditional Chinese martial art.
BKSP athletes also receive training from Chinese coaches in table tennis, athletics, badminton, swimming and diving.
Shahriar said the training exchange and cultural performances reflected the growing sports and cultural cooperation between the two countries.