We welcome fresh pledges by mayoral candidates to recover and revitalise parks, playgrounds, and other open spaces in Dhaka which have fallen prey to encroachment and disuse.
It is shameful that the relative lack of accessible safe spaces for sport and recreation has been made worse over the years by local authority neglect and collusion with land grabbers.
The next mayoral administration badly needs to reverse this trend and start building new facilities.
As the rapturous support given to the Bangladesh cricket team during the Tiger’s ODI victories over Pakistan this week show, there is a huge well of interest which can be tapped to further sport in our country.
It will be disastrous for the general health and well being of our population if authorities fail to do more to facilitate wider participation in physical activity.
Growing urbanisation and sedentary lifestyles pose a major threat to public health as they bring greater levels of obesity and associated illnesses
Both local and national governments need to work more closely with colleges, schools and sporting associations to encourage all boys and girls take part in sport from a young age.
Only by increasing access and broadening participation in sport can we hope to improve general health and maxmise the potential of our population to provide the competitive sport stars of the future.
We hope the new mayor and city corporations being elected this month will take the lead in improving facilities to help more people stay physically active through their lives and into older age.
