Prime Minister Tarek Rahman inaugurated the country’s largest national-level sports talent hunt program, ‘Notun Kuri Sports,’ at Sylhet District Stadium on Saturday. Despite rain interruptions, the event began at 5 p.m. with a grand ceremony, connecting all 64 districts virtually. The Prime Minister urged children and adolescents to prepare themselves to take responsibility for the future of Bangladesh and to bring pride to the nation through both education and sports.

The program opened with the national anthem, flag hoisting, and recitations from holy scriptures, followed by a documentary highlighting the contributions of late President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia to youth and sports. A theme song was performed, and students from BKSP presented exhibitions of eight sports included in the initiative.

Youth and Sports Secretary Md. Mahbub-ul-Alam stated that the program aims to build a database of athletes aged 12 to 14 and identify grassroots talent through a four-tier administrative structure. He added that the goal is to prepare athletes for strong participation in the 2030 and 2034 Olympics and international championships.