State Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque has announced the formation of a Tk 1,244 crore seed fund aimed at making sports federations financially self-reliant, instructing 14 newly formed federations to organise at least four domestic tournaments annually and take part in a minimum of three international events each year.
The announcement came after a meeting on Sunday with the ad hoc committees of the 14 federations at the National Sports Council auditorium, where Aminul confirmed the fund had received formal approval from Prime Minister Tarique Rahman as part of a broader push to reduce federations' dependence on government handouts.
"The approved seed money will be distributed equally among the federations according to different categories," Aminul said. "Of the annual dividends received from this huge fund, 75 per cent will be given directly to the federations every year. Through this, they will be able to ensure the day-to-day activities of their respective sports, such as football, hockey, archery and shooting, as well as the welfare of athletes. The remaining 25 per cent of the dividend will be added to the main fund as reinvestment so that the sports sector can achieve a sustainable economic structure in the future as well."
The Bangladesh Football Federation is expected to receive around Tk 50 crore from the fund, with hockey also likely to receive a substantial allocation, though the National Sports Council is yet to formally confirm individual amounts for each federation.
Aminul instructed every federation to prepare a five-year sports calendar to guide their future planning, alongside the requirement to hold at least four national tournaments and participate in three international competitions each year, either at home or abroad.
Athlete allowances will now face stricter scrutiny under the new system, with performances reviewed every four months. Athletes whose form declines will be removed from the allowance scheme, making way for emerging talent to take their place.
The state minister reiterated the government's zero-tolerance approach to corruption within sports, saying various state agencies were actively investigating irregularities accumulated in federations over the past 17 years.
"The law is equal for everyone," Aminul said, referring to the presence of senior police and military officials at the meeting. "If anyone involved in corruption or irregularities is caught with evidence, they will not be limited to organisational punishment; rather, they will be directly subjected to strict legal action under the country's existing laws."
Aminul also addressed the safety of female athletes, referring to the newly formed committee of the Bangladesh Women's Sports Association and praising veteran organisers including shooter Sharmin Akter Ratna. "Women make a significant contribution to the sports sector. Women need protection. Women are often subjected to harassment," he said, calling for adequate protection for women at every sports complex in the country to encourage the new generation to participate in sport.
Officials from the Bangladesh Athletics, Hockey, Cycling, Swimming, Shooting, Kabaddi, Volleyball, Chess, Badminton, Tennis, Table Tennis, Women's Sports Association, Archery and Amateur Boxing federations attended Sunday's meeting. Aminul instructed all current committees to continue their duties sincerely until elections for district sports associations are completed, and is scheduled to meet the remaining 13 newly formed federations on Monday.