Dhaka, June 3, 2025 – Big news for Bangladesh’s sports sector! The proposed budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year has allocated around Tk 842 crore more for the Ministry of Youth and Sports.1 This budget of Tk 2,423 crore is a huge leap compared to the revised budget of the last fiscal year. Will this increased budget be able to produce more world-class talented athletes like Shakib Al Hasan or Siddiqur Rahman in the country’s sports arena? This question is now being discussed in the sports community.
Today, Monday (June 2), Finance Advisor Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed presented this proposal in his budget speech. The new budget has allocated Tk 1,440.37 crore for the development sector and Tk 9,826.3 lakh for the operational sector.2 The development sector had an allocation of only Tk 6,279.5 lakh in the revised budget of the last fiscal year, which is almost double this time.3
The rise of Shakib and Siddiqur: Will the path change?
Shakib Al Hasan and Siddiqur Rahman—two shining stars of Bangladeshi sports. Shakib has taken cricket to the world stage, and Siddiqur to golf. Their rise was largely the result of personal effort, indomitable willpower and some institutional support. Shakib came up from the Bangladesh Krira Shiksha Ortega (BKSP), which gave him his initial opportunities and training. But it was his own hard work, perseverance and incredible dedication to the game that played the main role in becoming the world's best all-rounder.
On the other hand, Siddiqur Rahman has made Bangladesh's name shine on the international stage in a relatively new sport like golf. His path was more difficult, where institutional support was limited. He has made his place in the international arena with his own talent and determination.
Will the increased budget open new horizons?
The main purpose of the budget increase is to develop the country's sports infrastructure, explore talent and produce skilled athletes. The government has taken initiatives such as construction of mini stadiums in every upazila of the country, grassroots talent search activities and providing grants to various sports organizations.4 It is expected that the increased budget will help in making these activities more dynamic.
Grassroots talent search: If this budget is used properly, opportunities will be created to find and nurture countless talents hidden in remote areas of the country.
Modern training facilities: It will be possible to provide international standard training to players through construction, development of sports facilities and modern training.
Investment in sports science: Along with sports, investment in sports science, nutrition and psychology can lead to overall development of players.
Increasing professionalism: This budget can be helpful in making the sports arena more professional, which will create more opportunities for players.
However, increasing the budget alone is not enough. Proper use of this money, transparency and implementation of effective plans are very important. If the accountability of sports federations is not ensured and corruption is not curbed, even this huge allocation may not give the desired results.
Sports analysts believe that if this budget is properly utilized, then in the future, many more stars like Shakib or Siddiqur can emerge from Bangladesh in cricket, golf, football or any other sport, who will make the country shine. Now it is time to see how much this opportunity is utilized.
