Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today joined the grand finale of the national level Notun Kuri Sports 2025-26, a nationwide sporting event for adolescents organised with the theme, 'Krira Hole Pesha, Paribar Pabe Bharosha (if sports becomes a profession, family will find security)'. The Prime Minister arrived at the grand finale venue at Bangladesh Army Stadium in the city at 4:00 pm, where thousands of young spectators greeted him with thunderous applause after the announcement of his arrival. After entering the stadium, Tarique Rahman waved to the children and young athletes before walking directly to the players to exchange greetings. He later toured the ground, interacted warmly with students seated in the galleries and encouraged them to pursue sports. More than 8,000 students present at the venue cheered enthusiastically during his interaction with the young participants. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed and State Minister for Youth and Sports Md Aminul Haque accompanied the premier.
Under the overall supervision of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Notun Kuri Sports was launched on May 2 with the aim of discovering hidden sporting talents among boys and girls aged between 12 and 14 at grassroots and encouraging regular participation in sports. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman formally inaugurated the programme at the Sylhet District Stadium on that day.
According to the organisers, around 170,000 young athletes from districts and upazilas across the country took part in the regional phase of the competition in eight sporting disciplines. The national-level events were later held at different venues in the capital.
This year's edition featured football, cricket, kabaddi, athletics, badminton, chess, swimming and martial arts. Top performers from different stages advanced to the national phase.
The closing ceremony at the Bangladesh Army Stadium featured the boys' and girls' football finals along with the boys' and girls' 100-metre sprint events. In the boys' football final, played at 3:00 pm, Sylhet Region defeated Mymensingh Region 2-0. The girls' football final followed immediately afterwards. The Prime Minister is scheduled to distribute trophies and prizes among the winners at the award giving ceremony beginning at 5pm.
