Chief Adviser to the Caretaker Government Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed is seen with the National Sports Award 2007 recipients at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium yesterday.Photo: PID

Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed yesterday called for waging sport movement across the country to involve people in games for protecting public health and for amusement, keeping politics off the pitch.
"Polluting the sporting arena with various influences, including politics, is not acceptable anyway," said the head of the Caretaker Government while giving away the National Sport Award 2007 at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium.
"We want to keep the sporting arena above all kinds of controversies and want to advance it forward in the correct direction. We will have to make room for competent and responsible persons to keep the environment of the sports arena healthy, nice and clean," Dr Fakhruddin told the function.
He said it is unfortunate but true that it has not been possible to make practice of sports universal in the country and no comprehensive policy or planning was adopted to date at national level on this matter.
As a result, it was not possible to involve people of all sections of society with games and it is now demand of the time to take urgent step in this regard, he observed.
He said people, particularly children-juvenile and youth, from the capital to rural areas would have to be mobilised in the sport movement.
The CA said his government is determined to improve the games which have possibilities and golden tradition and also wants to restore the once-popular indigenous games.
He noted that the country doesn't want to see drug-addicted or sick juvenile and youth in localities but wants to see them amid green grass playing games and enjoying immense pleasure. "We want to see them grow up as healthy, strong and nice ones."
Eight sport persons and two organisers, one of them posthumously, were selected for the National Sports Award 2007.
The recipients are Sharmila Roy (athletics), Ranjit Das (football), Amir Hossain Patwari (kabaddi), Lt com (retd) M Arshad (swimming), Aminul Islam (judo), Nurul Islam (hockey), Sheikh Abul Hashem (badminton), Prof Dr Rashid Uddin Ahmad (basketball) and Ataul Huq Mollik (organiser- posthumous) and Kazi Anisur Rahman (organiser).
Each award carries Tk 20,000, a gold medal and a certificate.
On awarding national sports award, Fakhruddin said national sports award has enough importance and influence on games. A sport person builds up himself through hard practice and perseverance and similarly brings honours and pride for the nation.
He added that in the past, many competent and famous sports persons of the country became victim of negligence. "If they were given recognition they deserved, it would undoubtedly cast positive impacts on the sports arena."
He said this time the government awarded the competent sport persons and skilled organisers for keeping special contribution in the sports field.
On behalf of the awardees, Kazi Anisur Rahman spoke at the function.
Special Assistant to CA for Youth and Sports Ministry Mahbub Jamil presided over the function. Special Assistants to CA, chiefs of three services, previous recipients of national sport award, representatives of various sports federations and clubs and distinguished personalities were present at the function.