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The Ministry of Youth and Sports today named 10 sports personalities and two organizations in eight categories for the prestigious Sheikh Kamal National Sports Council (NSC) Award-2023 in recognition of outstanding contribution to sports.
State Minister for Youth and Sports Md. Zahid Ahsan Russel announced the names of the awardees at a press conference at the NSC conference room.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to distribute the awards on Saturday (August 5) at 9.30 am at the city’s Osmani Memorial Auditorium on the occasion of the 74th birth anniversary of Shaheed captain Sheikh Kamal, the eldest son of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Abdus Sadek, the legendary hockey player and the first captain of Bangladesh national hockey team, is nominated as the lifetime achievement award.
Women’s football team captain Sabina Khatun, cricketer Taskin Ahmed and South Asian gold medal winner weightlifter Ziaur Islam will get the award in sportsman category.
Table Tennis player Muhtasin Ahmed Hriday and hockey player Amirul Islam will receive emerging athlete award while grassroots hockey organiser Ustad Fazlu and Kalsindur Govt. School and College’s principal Mala Rani Sarker will get the awards in sports organiser.
Khandakar Tarqk Nurullah will get sports journalist award.
Bangladesh Archery Federation will receive the sports association/federation/organisation award while Bangladesh Association of Banks (BAB) will get the sports sponsor award.
Besides, the ministry, for the first time, included sports commentator category in the Sheikh Kamal NSC award. Former national cricketer and cricket commentator Atahar Ali Khan will be adorned with the sports commentator award.
Each of the awardees will receive Taka one lac, a crest and certificate.
The nominees for this award have been finalized after being scrutinized by the concerned committee in the light of specific criteria in recognition of outstanding contribution to sports.
The youth and sports ministry introduced the Sheikh Kamal NSC Award for the first time in 2021 on the occasion of Sheikh Kamal’s 72nd birth anniversary.
The ministry officially started celebrating the birth anniversary of Shaheed Sheikh Kamal in 2020 and following the recommendation of the ministry, the Cabinet Division decided to celebrate Sheikh Kamal’s birthday on August 5 as an ‘Ka’ classified day nationally.
Youth and Sports Secretary D Mohiuddin Ahmed, its Additional Secretary (Sports) Nazrul Islam, NSC’s Secretary Parimal Singha and officials of sports ministry and NSC were also present at the press conference.
