Government working to develop sports talent at grassroots: State Minister Mir Shah Alam

A meeting was held with the heads and physical education teachers of schools, colleges and madrasas of Bogura-2 (Shibganj-Mokamtola) constituency on the occasion of the 'Prime Minister's Gold Cup National Football Competition-2026'.

The meeting was held at 11:00 am on Saturday (1 August) at Shibganj Upazila Auditorium. State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Mir Shah Alam MP addressed it as the chief guest.

In his speech as chief guest, the State Minister said the goal of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is to find sports talent from the grassroots level and create opportunities for their development. He said there is no alternative to sports in building a healthy, gifted and patriotic generation. That is why the current government considers sports as one of the most important components of national development.

He said, 'Prime Minister's Gold Cup' is not just a football competition; it is a national initiative to find talented players from remote areas of the country. This arrangement is so that students of every educational institution in cities and villages get the opportunity to develop their sports talent.

Mir Shah Alam further said that under the direction of the Prime Minister, the government is consistently working to create a sporting environment in every upazila, preserve playgrounds, expand sports activities to keep youths away from drugs and crime, and produce internationally standard players.

He sought the cooperation of educational institutions, teachers, parents and all concerned to make the upcoming 'Prime Minister's Gold Cup National Football Competition-2026' successful. One football was distributed to each educational institution at the event.

Presided over by Upazila Executive Officer Ziaur Rahman, the meeting was addressed by Acting President of Upazila BNP S M Tajul Islam, General Secretary Advocate Abdul Wahab, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Shibganj Police Station Shahinuzzaman Shahin, Convener of the State Minister's Education Advisory Committee Professor Nazrul Islam, Upazila Secondary Education Officer Tariqul Alam, Upazila BNP Student Affairs Secretary Mir Shakrul Alam Shimanta, Municipal BNP General Secretary Abdul Karim, and Upazila Jubo Dal President Khalid Hasan Arman, along with local political, administrative and educational institution representatives.

The event was conducted by Head Teacher Harunur Rashid and Head Teacher Tajul Islam, members of the State Minister's Education Advisory Committee.