Trustee of Centre for Research and Information (CRI) and Radwan Mujib Siddiq, has called for more open spaces in the city for children to play and stay healthy.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, the grandson of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman drew attention to the open space in Gulshan where previously stood Wonderland amusement park and called for turning it into a dedicated sports hub.
Radwan, also known as Bobby said: “Do we really need another 'walking park' in Gulshan? Why can't the old Wonderland site be a dedicated sports hub? Even in its neglected and unfinished state, it's brimming with young people doing sports, having fun, being active.”
Radwan also called for striking a balance between the number of walking parks and all-weather sports pitches for children and youth.
He also said: “On any given day both Gulshan Youth Club (GYC) field and this site are completely full. Just build some all-weather multi-purpose pitches and let the children (and adults) play!”
In another post, he highlighted how according to the World Health Organization (WHO), Bangladeshi children are among the most active physically in the world.
Radwan said: “Our children are amongst the most active in the world! Let's help them out by creating more spaces for them to play in. And also by not forcing them to study the whole time.”
But the same study also showed that two out of three children in the country do not get an hour of exercise per day.
Over the last 10 years, the Awami League government has put special focus on the development of sports in Bangladesh.
The project to develop a mini stadium in every upazila is ongoing following the directives of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
To promote sports at the local level, the government is distributing sports materials to educational and sports institutions alongside arranging regular sports competitions up to school levels.
Financial grants for expansion of games and sports have also been extended.
