Sports
Tokyo’s Olympic fears give way to acceptance, to a point
When the Tokyo Olympics began during a worsening pandemic in Japan, the majority of the host nation was in opposition, with Emperor Naruhito dropping the word “celebrating” from his opening declaration of welcome.
But once the Games got underway and local media switched to covering Japanese athletes’ “medal rush,” many Japanese were won over. They watched TV to cheer on Japanese athletes in an Olympics that ended Sunday with a record 58 medals for the home nation, including 27 gold.
There are still worries that Japan will pay a price for hosting these Games; recent days have seen record numbers of virus cases. But for now, among many, a sense of pride and goodwill is lingering.
“Having the games in the middle of the pandemic didn’t seem like a good idea, and I did wonder if they should be canceled,” said Keisuke Uchisawa, 27, an office worker. But the medal haul, he said, was “very exciting and stimulating. Once the Games started, we naturally cheered the athletes and simply enjoyed watching them.”
Read: Olympic photos from far above and underwater
His wife Yuki, a medical worker, worried especially about the pandemic. But she began cheering when she noticed patients at her hospital beaming as they watched the Games. “I saw the power of sports, and I thought it was wonderful,” she said. “Athletes made outstanding performances, and we wanted to cheer for them.”
The couple were recently picking out matching Olympics shirts and pandemic masks from an official goods store in downtown Tokyo. The store, almost empty before the Games, was crowded on a recent weekday toward the end of the Olympics. Many customers appeared to be workers from the neighborhood dropping by during lunch breaks.
Beforehand, a lot of Japanese expressed reluctance or opposition to holding the Olympics during a pandemic that, for them, was worsening. A series of resignations of Olympic-linked officials over sexism, past bullying and Holocaust jokes also hurt the Games’ image ahead of the July 23 opening. There were protests on Tokyo streets and on social media.
After the opening ceremony, however, many opponents started to cheer.
More than half of Japan’s population watched the event, according to rating company Video Research — the highest rating for an Olympic opening ceremony in Japan since 61% for the 1964 Tokyo games, a time when far fewer people had televisions.
Outside the National Stadium, where dozens of demonstrators regularly held anti-Olympic rallies, many fans stood in a line next to the Olympic rings waiting to take selfies. It was the closest they could get to locked-down, spectator-free stadiums.
Opposition to the Olympics has steadily dropped in recent weeks. One poll taken by the Asahi newspaper just ahead of the Olympics showed opponents fell to 55% from around 70% earlier this year, and 56% of the respondents said they wanted to watch the Games on TV. And separate surveys taken by the Yomiuri newspaper and TBS Television at the end of the Games showed more than 60% of their respective respondents said it had been good to hold the Games.
Those who felt intimidated by the unwelcome mood in the beginning began to feel relieved.
“It was a bit scary to get on a train wearing an Olympic volunteer uniform” early on, when people were still more strongly opposing the Games, said Asuka Takahashi, a 21-year-old student who helped at the beach volleyball venue. She felt less tension after the Games started, and thought more people were interested in them than she had initially believed.
Read: Over 450 Covid cases confirmed during Tokyo Olympics
And when Takahashi recently visited Olympics stores, she also saw that lots of merchandise was sold out. “Many Japanese,” she said, “are enjoying the Olympics in the end.”
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, criticized for insisting on hosting the Olympics despite the virus, was likely hoping for this evolution in sentiment. He has been trying to reverse nosediving support ratings for his government ahead of general elections expected in the autumn.
“Japanese Olympians’ outstanding achievements will give us strength, too,” said Tateo Kawamura, a veteran lawmaker of Suga’s governing party. Suga called and congratulated judoka Naohisa Takato, who won the first gold for Japan, and has since publicly congratulated medal winners on Twitter.
Suga has repeatedly said there is no evidence linking the upsurge in cases to the Games — and, in fact, barely more than 400 positive cases were reported inside the Olympic “bubble” from early July until the closing ceremony.
But whether the Games lift public sentiment in a lasting way could hinge on how the virus plays out.
“The government has forced the holding of the Olympics and Paralympics in order to regain popularity ... but it’s a risky gamble,” Seigo Hirowatari, a University of Tokyo law professor emeritus, said during a recent online event.
While some have tried to see the positive side of the Olympics, others remain opposed. There’s a new word floating around to describe what some see as a growing pressure to support or even to talk about the Games: “Oly-hara” or Olympic harassment.
Medical experts have raised alarms as virus infections accelerate in Tokyo; daily cases surged to new highs during the Olympics. On Aug. 5, Tokyo logged 5,042 cases, an all-time high since the pandemic began early last year. Experts say the ongoing infections propelled by the more contagious delta variant could send the daily case load above 10,000 within two weeks. Nationwide, total cases exceeded 1 million, with more than 15,300 deaths.
Last week, Japan’s government introduced a contentious new policy in which coronavirus patients with moderate symptoms will isolate at home as the surge of cases strain hospitals. That policy was needed, the government said, in spite of an expansion of the state of emergency from Tokyo to wider areas that will last until the end of August.
Read: Mixed bag: Erratic Pandemic Olympics come to a nuanced end
“If you turn on the TV, there is nothing else but the Olympic Games, and people are not sharing in a sense of crisis” about the exploding infections amid the festivity, said Dr. Jin Kuramochi, a respiratory medicine expert. “People will see the reality after the closing ceremony.”
Those who opposed the Games say the money should have been spent on health care and economic support for pandemic-hit people and businesses. The $15.4 billion cost of the Games — largely shouldered by Japanese citizens’ tax money — has caused concerns.
That leads to sentiments like the one from Yoko Kudo, a preschool teacher.
“I hope” she said, “at least the rest of the world will thank Japan for achieving the Games despite the difficulties.”
Tigers set to take on Australia in final T20I Monday
Tigers are all set to take on visitors Australia on Monday in the fifth match of the five-match T20I series. The match will kick off at 6 p.m. at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
Bangladesh have won the first three matches and wrapped the series up. But they conceded a defeat in the fourth match.
In the first match of the series, Bangladesh had put only 131 runs on the board while batting first. Despite a low score, the hosts managed to win the match by 23 runs. In the second match, they had chased down a target of 122 runs with five wickets in hand, and in the third match, they defended a total of 127 runs and won by 10 runs.
Read: Bangladesh vs. Australia Series 2021: 5th T20I Preview
The winning streak came to an end in the fourth match when the hosts ended up scoring only 104 runs while batting first. They still fought valiantly and lost in the 19th over.
It was Bangladesh’s first-ever series win against Australia in any format of cricket. Shakib Al Hasan led the way for the Bangladeshi batsman in this series scoring 103 runs in four matches, while Mustafizur Rahman and Shoriful Islam were the highest wicket-takers for the hosts with seven scalps each in four matches.
The biggest reason behind Australia’s poor show in this series is their clueless batting on the slow surface of Dhaka. Matthew Wade, the stand-in captain of Australia, has repeatedly been saying that if their batting woes continue, they will have to suffer big problems in the coming days.
While the Australian team is worried much about their performance, Bangladesh are aiming to pull up another win in this series.
Read: Nightmarish outing of Shakib costs Bangladesh 4th T20I
Bangladesh might overlook Soumya Sarkar in the last match to pave way for one of Mohammad Mithun and Mosaddek Hossain Saikat. Soumya has been going through a bad patch for a while now. In this series so far, he posted a total of 12 runs.
In the absence of the ace batsmen— Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das, it was expected that Soumya would flourish and help the Tigers to shine against the Australians, but the left-handers failed.
After this series, Bangladesh will host New Zealand for a five-match T20I series. The Blackcaps are scheduled to arrive in Dhaka in later August, and the series will commence in early September in Dhaka.
Messi breaks down, says he wasn’t ready to leave Barcelona
Lionel Messi began crying before he even started speaking. The “most difficult” moment of his career had arrived and he wasn’t ready for it.
It was time to say goodbye to Barcelona after more than two decades with the Catalan club.
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to speak,” he said while trying to compose himself during his farewell news conference at the Camp Nou Stadium on Sunday. “It still hasn’t sunk in that I’m leaving this club, that my life will be changing completely. It will be a difficult change for me and especially for my family. But we have to accept it and move on.”
Messi struggled to control his emotions and cried profusely as he stepped up to the podium at the Camp Nou.
“This is very hard for me after so many years, after being here my entire life,” he said. “I wasn’t prepared.”
Messi said that, unlike last year when he asked to leave, he had his mind set on staying with Barcelona and did everything possible to make it happen, including reducing his salary by 50%. He said he was surprised to hear he wouldn’t be able to stay because of the club’s debt and the Spanish league’s financial fair-play regulations.
“In these last few days I was thinking about what I would say today, but to be honest I couldn’t come up with anything. I was blocked, like I still am right now,” Messi said. “I was convinced that we would remain with the club, which is our home.”
Messi’s family and some of his teammates were at the Camp Nou for the emotional farewell. He was applauded several times by those in the audience.
The 34-year-old Messi avoided speaking specifically about his future, saying he received offers from several clubs after the announcement that he would leave the Catalan club. When asked about Paris Saint-Germain, considered the frontrunner to sign him, Messi admitted it was “a possibility.”
Read: End of an era: Barcelona says Messi won’t stay with the club
“At this moment I don’t have a deal with any club,” he said.
PSG has been in talks over the weekend with Messi’s team trying to finalize a deal.
Sports daily L’Equipe reported on its website Sunday that Messi was to fly to Paris later Sunday to put the finishing touches on the deal with a view to having a medical exam on Monday morning.
An email from The Associated Press to PSG seeking to confirm the report was not immediately answered.
Messi said he hopes to return to Barcelona in some capacity one day and that he wished he could have said goodbye to fans in a match with a capacity crowd chanting his name. He said it was sad to leave after not being able to play in front of fans for nearly a year and a half.
He said his best moment was his first-team debut in 2004, because “that’s when it all started.” He said he has “no regrets,” but believed he was part of a generation that should have won more Champions League titles.
Winning the Champions League again will remain one of his main goals, as well as closing the gap to former teammate Dani Alves as the most decorated player. The Brazilian defender won his 43rd title at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday. Messi added that he has no immediate plans to retire.
He said it will be “strange” to see Barcelona without Messi, “but with time people will get used to it.” He said the club still has good players and can continue to succeed without him.
Barcelona announced Thursday it could not keep its greatest player because it wasn’t able to fit a new contract within the Spanish league’s financial fair-play regulations. The club’s salary cap has been significantly slashed because of its huge debt. President Joan Laporta blamed the club’s struggles on the coronavirus pandemic and particularly on the previous administration led by Josep Bartomeu.
Read: Lionel Messi Contract: PSG Set to Sign Former Barcelona Forward
“We all thought we would reach a solution without any problems, but in the end it wasn’t possible,” Messi said. “As the president said, the club is more important than anyone.”
Messi asked to leave at the end of the 2019-20 season but had his request denied by Bartomeu, with whom he had clashed.
“I wanted to leave then, but not now,” he said. “I didn’t expect it, so it’s sad to have to say goodbye.”
Messi spent nearly two decades with Barcelona after arriving from Argentina as a 13-year-old to play in its youth squads. He made his first-team debut as a 17-year-old, then played 17 seasons with the main squad. He helped the club win the Champions League four times, the Spanish league 10 times, the Copa del Rey seven times and the Spanish Super Cup eight times.
Messi leaves as Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer with 672 goals. He played in 778 matches with the club, also a record. He is also the overall top scorer in the Spanish league with 474 goals from 520 matches. He led the Spanish league in scoring in eight seasons, and was the top scorer in the Champions League six times.
He said none of the challenges he faced on the field compared to the one of saying goodbye to Barcelona.
“There were many tough moments, many losses, but in the end you always went back to training and to playing again,” he said. “This is different. There is no going back. This is the end. Now a new story begins.”
Nightmarish outing of Shakib costs Bangladesh 4th T20I
For the first time in his career, Shakib Al Hasan conceded 50 runs in a T20I match, with five sixes in an over, which eventually played the biggest role behind Bangladesh’s 3-wicket defeat against Australia on Saturday at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
Bangladesh batted first in this game and posted only 104 runs for nine wickets in 20 overs. In reply, Australia found the going tough losing wickets in regular intervals as Bangladeshi bowlers were disciplined enough to put pressure on them.
But Shakib’s 30-run fourth over cost the match for Bangladesh. The all-rounder was simply clueless while bowling to Daniel Christian who ended up scoring 39 off 15 balls with five sixes, all off Shakib. The left-arm spinner ended up conceding 50 runs without a wicket— his worst bowling figures in the format.
While Shakib had a nightmarish day with the ball, Mustafizur Rahman was once again brilliant conceding only nine runs in four overs with a maiden and two wickets.
Mahedi Hasan also bagged two wickets. But that inconceivably expensive over of Shakib undermined efforts of other bowlers.
Read: Shoriful reprimanded for breaching ICC code of conduct
Ashton Agar was the second-highest run getter for Australia scoring 27 off 27 balls with two fours and one six. He retired to the dressing room finishing the game. They ended up on 105 for seven in 19 overs.
Earlier, Bangladesh opener Soumya Sarkar continued his poor form with the bat. After scoring 2, 0 and 2 in the first three outings of the series, Soumya perished with 8 runs in this match.
Bangladesh managed to post only 104 runs in the fourth match. Along with Soumya, Mahmudullah Riyad, who had hit a ton in the third match, and Nurul Hasan Shohan also failed with the bat. Both Mahmudullah and Sohan returned for a duck each.
Of the first five batsmen, Mohammad Naim and Shakib Al Hasna were only to reach double-digit scores. While Naim scored 28 off 36 while Shakib posted 15 off 26 deliveries.
Mitchell Swepson, the leg-spinner, was playing his first match in this series. He ended up taking three wickets conceding 13 runs. He removed Mahmudullah and Sohan off two consecutive deliveries during the 11th over. Swepson also scalped Naim for 28.
The onus was on Afif Hossain, Mahedi Hasan and Shamim Hossain to keep the scoreboard afloat. Afif scored 21 off 17 balls before falling prey to Ashton Agar.
Read: BAN vs. AUS 2021: Bangladesh Secure Historic Series Win Over Australia
Shamim Hossain, who grabbed the limelight in the Zimbabwe tour, failed for the third time in the Australia series scoring three. In the two previous matches, he scored 4 and 3. Mahedi posted 23 off 16 balls with one four and one six.
Eventually, Bangladesh ended up on 104 for nine wickets in 20 overs.
For Australia, Swepson and Andrew Tye bagged three wickets each while and Josh Hazlewood took two wickets.
Bangladesh have already won the series with three consecutive wins in the first three matches. Both the teams will now face each other in the fifth and final match of the series on August 9 at the same venue.
Tigers create history as Australia are left with no answers
With three consecutive victories, Bangladesh won their first-ever bilateral series against Australia with two matches still to play, with a 10-run win in Friday's 3rd T20I in Mirpur.
Australia needed to score 22 runs off the last six balls bowled by Mahedi Hasan, but they only managed 11. Alex Carey smashed a six off the first ball of the last over, but they couldn’t continue on that. But the win was really set up by some outstanding bowling from Mustafizur Rahman in the previous over, when with Australia needing 23 off 2 overs to get back in the series, The Fizz conceded just a single run, bamboozling the batsmen with his clever variations and significantly taking the pressure off Mahedi for the last over.
It was another exceptional performance with the ball by Mustafiz - his previous over, the 17th of the Australian innings, had also gone for just 4 runs. He ended with figures of 0/9 off his 4 overs - 15 dot balls and 9 singles. And even then he was unlucky, as he should have had the wicket of Ben McDermott, drafted in to open the batting for the visitors today, but Shoriful Islam dropped a dolly at deep fine leg.
Read:Rain delays start of 3rd T20
Earlier, Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bat first and scored 127 for nine wickets in 20 overs. Once again it was tough going for the batsmen in Mirpur, where the pitches have not allowed the ball to come on to the bat throughout the series. The Tigers innings was held together by a sensible half-century from captain Mahmudullah, after once again the opening pair failed to deliver a decent start.
In reply, Australia made a good start despite losing their first wicket early on, with Nasum Ahmed striking in his first over once again to remove Matthew Wade for one.
That brought in Mitch Marsh, the visitors' only in form batsman, and he and McDermott proceeded to steady the ship with a second wicket-stand of 63 runs. When Shoriful dropped the opener, it looked like it wasn't going to be the Tigers' day, and we would have to wait at least another day to savour a series victory.
But in the very next over, Shakib Al Hasan, the big match player, gave Bangladesh a whiff, sending McDermott back to the pavilion bowled for 35, in the 14th over of the innings, at the end of which Australia needed 54 off 6 overs. Shoriful made up for his earlier error by getting rid of Henriques in the very next over, and the Tigers were well and truly in business at that point.
Smelling their opportunity, the Tigers never lost track again.
When Australia needed 34 off 3 overs, Shoriful Islam removed Mitchell Marsh for 51. A superb slow-delivery did the trick for the tall left-arm pacer. Marsh lifted to the long-on area, and Mohammad Naim came in to take an easy catch. Marsh’s dismissal came as a big blow for Australia.
Eventually, Australia ended up on 117 for four wickets in 20 overs.
Apart from Mustafiz, who has been nearly unplayable all week and should be a strong contender for player of the series, Shoriful took 2/29 off his four overs, while Nasum Ahmed took 1/19 and Shakib 1/22 off their full complement of overs.
Before this series, Bangladesh had never won a T20I match against the Aussies, never won a series, nor even two games in any one format of the game.
Batting first, Bangladesh failed to lay a good foundation as both the openers were dismissed inside 2.1 overs.
Mohammad Naim, who did well in the first match, fell prey to Josh Hazlewood for one. Soumya Sarkar failed to come out of his batting woes once again as he fell for two.
In the third wicket stand, Mahmudullah Riyad and Shakib Al Hasan added 44 of 36 balls. Smashing Mitchell Marsh for two consecutive fours, Shakib was suggesting to play a big innings but failed to continue on a good run.
Off the first ball of the ninth over by Adam Zampa, Shakib lifted the ball over the long-off area, and Ashton Agar took an easy catch.
After Shakib’s dismissal, Afif Hossain came in and scored 19 off 13 balls with one four and one six. But once again, Afif failed to continue on a good run what he did in the second match of the series. He dismissed run-out in this match.
Shamim Hossain, Nurul Hasan Sohan and Mahedi Hasan also failed to do well with the bat.
For Australia, Nathan Ellis took three wickets while Josh Hazlewood and Adam Zampa took two wickets each.
The fourth and fifth matches of the series will take place on August 7 and nine at the same venue.
Read:BAN vs. AUS 2021: Bangladesh Aim to Wrap Up T20I Series Against Autralia
Debutant Ellis' hat-trick restricts Bangladesh to 127
The 26-year-old Australian fast-bowler, Nathan Ellis, created history against Bangladesh Friday in the third T20 by registering the first-ever T20 hat-trick by a debutant.
In the last over of the first innings of the match, Nathan removed Mahmudullah Riyad, Mustafizur Rahman and Mahedi Hasan off three consecutive deliveries. It was the third hat-trick in T20 by an Australian bowler.
Riding on his hat-trick and some superb efforts by the other bowlers, Australia managed to restrict Bangladesh to 127/9 in 20 overs at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. Mahmudullah top-scored with 52 off 53 balls.
Read: Bangladesh bat first in 3rd T20 against Australia
Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bat first but had to settle for a small total as the openers failed to lay a good foundation. Mohammad Naim fell to Josh Hazlewood for one and Soumya Sarkar to Zampa for two.
In the third wicket stand, Mahmudullah and Shakib Al Hasan added 44 of 36 balls.
However, Shakib fell to Zampa in the first ball of the ninth over as he started to accelerate his innings.
Read: Bangladesh vs Australia: Rain delays start of 3rd T20
After the all-rounder's dismissal, Afif Hossain came to the middle and added 19 off 13 balls with one four and one six before being run out.
Also, Shamim Hossain, Nurul Hasan Sohan and Mahedi Hasan failed to do well with the bat.
For Australia, Nathan Ellis took three wickets; Josh Hazlewood and Adam Zampa grabbed two wickets each.
BPL Football: Sheikh Jamal, Dhaka Abahani settle for 2-2
Six-time champions Dhaka Abahani came from two goals down to pull back a point in a 2-2 draw against three-time champions Sheikh Jamal in the 13-team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football 2020-21 Friday.
It was one-way traffic for almost the whole of the first 45 minutes as Sheikh Jamal came out firing on all cylinders at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.
Gambian striker Pa Omar Jobe gave them the lead in the 31st minute (1-0) while his compatriot Solomon King extended it in the 45th minute (2-0).
Read: BPL Football: Sheikh Jamal move to 2nd slot beating Sheikh Russel 2-0
However, Abahani struck back twice through Nigerian player Sunday Chizoba and Haitian striker Kervens Belfort after the break.
Sunday got his name on the scoresheet in the 52nd minute (2-1), while Kervens restored parity three minutes before the final whistle (2-2).
Omar emerged as the second-highest goal scorer of the league along with Bashundhara Kings' Argentine booter Raul Becerra after adding to his tally Friday. Both players scored 16 goals each. Brazilian booter Robson Robinho of the Kings dominated scorer list with 18 goals.
READ: BPL Football: Ctg Abahani hand Bashundhara Kings first defeat
The draw gave second-placed Sheikh Jamal 39 points from 18 matches. Dhaka Abahani remained at the third spot with 37 points from 19 outings.
Bashundhara Kings stayed at the top of the table with 52 points from 19 matches.
Bangladesh vs Australia: Rain delays start of 3rd T20
Rain delayed the toss and start of the third T20 of the five-match series between Bangladesh and Australia Friday.
The toss was scheduled to take place at 5:30pm, but the weather ensured that the pitch at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium was covered and the toss was delayed.
Bangladesh won the first two matches of the series. So, the third match is a chance for the Tigers to seal the series with two matches to spare.
Read: BAN vs. AUS 2021: Bangladesh Aim to Wrap Up T20I Series Against Australia
In both the matches, Bangladeshi bowlers were superb. Mustafizur Rahman and Shoriful Islam troubled the visitors along with the spinners.
So far, Mustafizur has taken five wickets in this series – the highest for any bowlers of both teams.
Read: Afif, Sohan power Bangladesh to 2nd win vs Australia
Before this series, Bangladesh faced Australia four times in the shorter format of international cricket but failed to win any match.
The Tigers' wait came to an end on August 3 when Nasum Ahmed bagged four wickets and guided his team to a 23-run win.
BPL Football: Police come from behind to force draw against Mohammedan
Bangladesh Police came from a goal down to pull back a point in a 1-1 draw against Dhaka Mohammedan in the 20th round match of the 13-team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football 2020-21 Thursday.
Jafar Iqbal, the 21-year-old promising midfielder from Bandarban, put Mohammedan ahead in the 17th minute (1-0) and they maintained the lead till the 85th minute of the match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.
But Police FC's Ivory Coast player Christian Kouakou scored four minutes before the final whistle to depart with a 1-1 draw against Mohammedan.
Read: BPL Football: Sheikh Jamal move to 2nd slot beating Sheikh Russel 2-0
The victory gave fifth-placed Dhaka Mohammedan 33 points from 19 matches. Police remained at eighth spot with 19 points from 18 outings.
Bashundhara Kings stayed at the top of the table with 52 points from 19 matches.
Second-placed Sheikh Jamal earned 38 points from 17 encounters; Dhaka Abahani remained at third spot with 36 points from 18 outings.
READ: BPL Football: Ctg Abahani hand Bashundhara Kings first defeat
In the remaining 20th round match on Friday, two former champions Dhaka Abahani and Sheikh Jamal DC will meet each other at 4pm at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.
10 sports personalities, 2 organisations receive Sheikh Kamal Sports Award
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday distributed Sheikh Kamal National Sports Council (NSC) Award-2021 to 10 sports personalities and two organisations through a virtual function.
On behalf of the Prime Minister, Senior Secretary of Youth and Sports Ministry Akhter Hossain handed over the awards to them under seven categories at the Shaheed Sheikh Kamal Auditorium of the National Sports Council.
Read: Akbar and Ruman among 12 to receive Sheikh Kamal sports award
The Prime Minister joined the award ceremony virtually from Ganobhaban.
Mahfuza Khatun Shila (swimming), Ruman Sana (archery) and Mabia Akter Simanto (weightlifting) received the award in the athlete category.
Akbar Ali (captain of U-19 Cricket World Cup winner), Fahad Rahman (chess) and Unnati Khatun (football) got the award in the emerging athlete category.