Desk Report:
The Ministry of Youth and Sports has undertaken a groundbreaking initiative to ensure social security and pave the way for a dignified lifestyle for national-level athletes holding sports cards. Guided by the motto “A career in sports brings security to the family,” a review meeting was held on Sunday (October 4, 2026) at the Ministry’s conference room to discuss providing various benefits to sports card holders. Md. Aminul Haque, State Minister for Youth and Sports, attended the meeting as the chief guest. During the meeting, an in-principle decision was reached to provide special public transport travel privileges, as well as to ensure healthcare, life insurance, and risk insurance coverage for these athletes.
The sports card and sports allowance program was launched with the aim of making sports an attractive career option for the younger generation and providing state recognition to athletes. According to the Ministry’s plan, this card will not merely serve as a standard identity document; rather, it is part of an integrated framework designed to secure various state and institutional benefits for athletes. So far, 325 selected national athletes across various disciplines have been brought under this program, with 300 of them initially receiving regular sports allowances. This institutional recognition will play a pivotal role in organizing the athletes’ futures and strengthening their sense of commitment to the state.
To make this initiative more effective and fruitful, detailed discussions were held with senior officials from Bangladesh Railway, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), DMTCL, and the insurance sector. Preliminary plans include discussions on arranging discounted fares for sports card holders on both public and private transport across the country. Simultaneously, efforts are being accelerated to bring them under special healthcare, life insurance, and risk insurance coverage to address sports-related accidents, high medical costs, and general life risks, with public and private insurance companies acting as partners.
Among others present at the meeting were Md. Mahbub-ul-Alam, Secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Sports; Md. Afzal Hossain, Director General of Bangladesh Railway; Md. Moazzem Hossain, Member of BIWTA; Md. Aminur Rahman, Director of DMTCL; Abu Naim Md. Maruf Khan, General Manager of Jiban Bima Corporation; and Siddiqur Rahman Patwary, Director General of the Bangladesh Inland Waterways (Owners) Association, along with other representatives from the transport sector.
