Omar Faruk

State Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque reiterates a strict "zero tolerance" stance against corruption, irregularities, and mismanagement in the country's sports sector.

Speaking at an exchange-of-views meeting at the National Sports Council (NSC) conference room on Sunday

in Purana Paltan, the minister revealed that the Prime Minister has approved a historic institutional seed fund of approximately Tk 1,244 crore aimed at ending the dependency of national sports federations and turning them into self-reliant entities.

The meeting was held with top officials, including newly appointed presidents and general secretaries of ad-hoc committees representing 15 national sports federations—including athletics, hockey, cycling, swimming, shooting, kabaddi, volleyball, chess, badminton, tennis, table tennis, archery, amateur boxing, and the Bangladesh Women's Sports Association.

The approved Tk 1,244 crore seed money will be equitably allocated across sports federations by category. Federations will receive 75% of the annual profit generated from this fund to run daily operations, manage events, and ensure athlete welfare. The remaining 25% will be reinvested into the principal fund to secure long-term financial stability

Addressing the presence of top officials from Bangladesh Police and the Bangladesh Army, Aminul warned that corruption would not be met merely with organizational penalties. Offenders will face legal action under existing laws without exception.

Current ad-hoc bodies must carry out their duties with utmost sincerity until District Sports Association (DSA) elections are completed to pave the way for full-fledged federation committeescommittees.

Stressing a safe and structured environment for women, the minister praised veteran organizers and shooter Sharmin Akhtar Ratna of the newly formed Women's Sports Association committee, urging all complexes to safeguard female participationFederations must draft a five-year action calendar, organizing at least four national tournaments and participating in or hosting at least three international competitions annually.

Furthermore, athlete performance will be reviewed every four months; underperforming athletes will be replaced on allowance lists by promising new talent.