Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Monday joined the grand finale of the national-level Notun Kuri Sports 2025-26 at the Bangladesh Army Stadium in Dhaka.
The nationwide sporting event, organized under the supervision of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, was held with the theme: "Krira Hole Pesha, Paribar Pabe Bharosha (If sports becomes a profession, family will find security)."
The prime minister arrived at the venue at 4pm and was greeted by thousands of young spectators. He waved to the crowd, exchanged greetings with athletes on the field, and interacted with students in the galleries, encouraging them to pursue sports. More than 8,000 students attended the event.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed and State Minister for Youth and Sports Md Aminul Haque accompanied the prime minister.
The Notun Kuri Sports program was launched on May 2 at Sylhet District Stadium with the aim of identifying sporting talent among boys and girls aged 12 to 14 and encouraging grassroots participation in sports.
According to the organizers, around 170,000 athletes from districts and upazilas across the country competed in the regional phase across 8 disciplines before advancing to the national-level competitions held in Dhaka.
This year's edition featured football, cricket, kabaddi, athletics, badminton, chess, swimming, and martial arts.
The closing ceremony included the boys' and girls' football finals and the boys' and girls' 100-meter sprint events.
In the boys' football final, Sylhet Region defeated Mymensingh Region 2-0.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman was scheduled to distribute trophies and prizes to the winners during the award ceremony beginning at 5pm.
