Dhaka, Mar 30 (V7N) — In a landmark move to establish sports as a viable professional career, the government has officially begun covering the salaries of national athletes for the first time in the country’s history. Prime Minister Tariq Rahman inaugurated the ambitious sports allowance program during a ceremony held at his office in Tezgaon on Monday, marking a paradigm shift in how the state supports its sporting talent.

During the initial phase of this rollout, 129 sportspersons were issued official sports cards, granting them access to a structured monthly salary. In addition to the financial stipend, the athletes were also presented with special government honors in recognition of their contributions to the nation’s prestige. The Prime Minister noted that the government aims to expand this safety net to include 500 athletes under the new salary framework in the coming months.

The program includes a rigorous merit-based retention policy to ensure high standards of competition are maintained. Athletes enrolled in the program will undergo formal performance evaluations every four months; those who sustain their competitive edge will continue to receive benefits, while those whose performance falls below established benchmarks risk being delisted from the payroll.

While the government has confirmed that an "equal pay for all" policy has been fixed to ensure equity across different sporting disciplines, the exact monthly figure remains under wraps. The specific salary amount is expected to be officially disclosed by the Prime Minister at a later date, as the administration finalizes the budgetary allocations for the expanded athlete pool.

The inauguration ceremony was held under the chairmanship of State Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque. Prominent figures sharing the stage with the Prime Minister included the Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives (LGRD) and BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, signaling strong executive backing for the initiative.

A large delegation of high-ranking officials also attended the event to show support for the athletic community. Notable attendees included Social Welfare Minister Dr. AZM Zahid Hossain, Liberation War Affairs Minister Ahmed Azam Khan, Lands Minister Mizanur Rahman Minu, State Minister of Foreign Affairs Shama Obaid Islam, and several senior advisors and city administrators, reflecting a broad ministerial consensus on the professionalization of sports.

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