Bangladesh News

As Indo-Bangladesh Bangla Games got off to a gala start here yesterday, Chief Adviser (CA) Fakhruddin Ahmed hoped such camaraderie in the sporting arena will also help expand relations in other areas between Bangladesh and India.

The head of the caretaker government made the remarks while formally inaugurating the five-day-long Second Indo-Bangladesh Bangla Games 2008 at Bangabandhu National Stadium amid a euphoric mood among the athletes and spectators from West Bengal and host Bangladesh.

He hoped that Indo-Bangladesh Bangla Games would open up new horizons in attaining skill in sports by athletes of the two countries.

Players of the two countries will strengthen the bond of friendship by coming closer to each other through this competition. Besides, they will create a new chapter of success in the international sporting arena through combined efforts, the CA told his audience.

“In the era of globalisation, we will have to flourish also in sport arena alongside flourishing of education, culture, industry and economics. New example of success will have to set up in the sport world,” he told the function.

The CA said in the present world, practice of sports is an essential component for protecting one’s health, development of society, building nation and flourishing world civilisation. Through its best and pervasive performance, we can sow seeds of good health in worldly, state and social life,” he said.

The theme of this year’s Indo-Bangladesh Bangla Games is “Sports for Friendship”.

A total of 469 athletes, 231 of them from India’s West Bengal state, are participating in nine disciplines–athletics, football, basketball, kabadi, kho-kho, shooting, swimming, volleyball, and cricket.

The first Indo-Bangladesh Bangla Games took place in February 2007 in Kolkata, the capital of the West Bengal State of India.

Indo-Bangladesh Bangla Games as an annual sporting event is an outcome of the combined sincere efforts of Bangladesh Olympic Association and Bengal Olympic Association of West Bengal, the function was told.

President of Bangladesh Olympic Association and President of South Asia Olympic Council Army Chief General Moeen U Ahmed and Bengal Olympic Association, West Bengal, President Paresh Nath Mukherjee also spoke at the inaugural function.

General Moeen in his speech said the games will further strengthen the bond of friendship between Bangladesh and India. “Such efforts to improve ties between the two neighbours will continue,” he said.

At the outset of inauguration of the event, four paratroopers of Bangladesh army, carrying national flag of Bangladesh, national flag of India, flag of Bangladesh Olympic Association and the flag of Indo-Bangladesh Bangla Games, descended on the stadium ground one after another.

The paratroopers carried the national flags of Bangladesh and India as they paraded round the field at the beginning of the inauguration.

Secretary general of the Olympic Council of Asia Raja Randhir Singh was present at the function.

Advisers, Special Assistants to the chief adviser, the Indian high commissioner in Dhaka, sports personalities and sport officials of both the countries, noted personalities of various professions and enthusiastic viewers were also present at the function.

The Bangabandhu National Stadium ground was decorated with colorful flags and festoons as well as national flags of Bangladesh and India.

The participating players and athletes of the two countries staged a march past and gave salute to the chief adviser. The CA took salute from the march past.

Later, an impressive cultural programme was staged. The chief adviser witnessed the cultural show for sometime.