New nation-wide talent hunt enters final phase today 

The final phase of the nationwide talent identification programme Notun Kuri Sports gets underway today (Tuesday), with State Minister for Youth and Sports Md Aminul Haque formally inaugurating the competition at the Syed Nazrul Islam National Swimming Complex in Mirpur.

The State Minister is scheduled to open the swimming discipline at 10:00am, marking the start of the concluding stage of the country's grassroots sports initiative aimed at unearthing the next generation of sporting talent.

The programme targets boys and girls aged between 10 and 14, providing promising youngsters with a platform to showcase their abilities and take the first steps towards elite-level competition.

A total of eight disciplines have been included in the talent hunt, cricket, football, kabaddi, athletics, chess, badminton, swimming and martial arts.
On the opening day, competitions will be held in swimming, kabaddi and cricket, with young athletes vying to impress selectors and stake their claim as future stars of Bangladesh sport.

The final phase will be staged across six venues in the capital, the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur, Shaheed Suhrawardy Indoor Stadium, Bangladesh Army Stadium, Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Indoor Stadium, Syed Nazrul Islam National Swimming Complex and the Bangladesh Chess Federation.

The week-long programme will culminate on 27 July, when Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is expected to attend the closing ceremony at the Bangladesh Army Stadium as chief guest. He is scheduled to distribute prizes among the outstanding performers, bringing the curtain down on the nationwide talent hunt designed to strengthen the country's sporting future from the grassroots.