In the upcoming Qatar visit, four national-level female athletes from Bangladesh will accompany Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus.
The athletes are footballers Afeida Khandaker and Shaheda Akter Ripa, and cricketers Sumaiya Akter and Sharmin Sultana.
On Thursday evening at 6pm, the four athletes met with the chief adviser at the state guest house, Jamuna.
This marks the first time a team of female athletes will join a head of government on an official state visit.
The invitation for these Bangladeshi female athletes to join the visit came from the Qatar Foundation.
The four athletes said that they were overjoyed to receive the invitation and that their teammates were also thrilled for them.
The female footballers remarked that they rarely got the opportunity to play matches against teams from outside South Asia.
They expressed their interest in inviting the Qatar women's team for a friendly match and added that they hoped to visit Qatar’s sports facilities and learn about their professional approach to the game.
The female cricketers told the chief adviser that cricket was not very popular in Qatar.
They hoped to generate interest in the sport during the visit and mentioned that they planned to present the stories of Bangladesh’s men’s and women’s national cricket teams through a dedicated presentation.
During the meeting, the four athletes also shared their personal struggles and journeys with the chief adviser, and expressed their heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity to be part of the state visit.
After hearing their stories and plans for the Qatar trip, Chief Adviser Professor Yunus showed great enthusiasm and offered his full support.
He said: “I want you to share your real-life stories with them. You are the sports ambassadors of this country. You will represent Bangladeshi sports during this visit. I, too, am delighted to have you accompany me on this official trip.”
Professor Yunus also assured them that his office would provide maximum support to ensure the success of their visit.
The chief adviser is scheduled to depart for a four-day visit to Qatar this Monday to attend the Economic Conference.
