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One of the prestigious state awards given by the Ministry of Youth and Sports is ‘National Sports Awards’ in Bangladesh. This award has been presented to the achievers of diverse sports who represent their country on the global stage since 1976. During the initial years the football players were receiving this honor and later the individuals from the sports including cricket, kabaddi, table tennis, badminton, and athletes were also included for the national honoring event. The awardee will receive a gold medal and a cash prize, over the decades they have appreciated the legends by honoring them with this award. The ultimate aim of this award is meant to inspire the future generations who are finding their anchoring positions in the field of sports.
Outbreak of Controversies!
National Sports Awards was launched to uplift the sportsmanship and the dedication of the individuals for the sports they represent and to make their country proud. Yet it has encountered series of controversies and criticisms while presenting it to some of the notable personalities in the history. All those criticisms highlighted the issues behind those controversy which includes lack of transparency, political influcence, favouritism and negligence of the deserving sport figures. Many fans and commoners began to raise questions regarding the fairness and the process of how the awardees are selected.
List of Controversial National Sports Awards
| Awardee | Year | Category/Role | Controversy |
| Shah Nurul Kabir Shaheen | 2005 | BCB (Former) Vice President | Accused of being selected without any official BCB nomination. Also, he was alleged of political favourism leading towards the position of VP of BCB |
| Kazi Anwar Hossain | 2018 | Former Footballer | The allegations underpins that the other deserving candidates who are from his era were ignored purposefully |
| Multiple Recipients | 2013-2020 | Diverse Sports | Due to the ‘Application-Only’ policy many high profile and highly deserving candidates were ignored in large numbers |
| Sheikh Kamal NSC Award Winners | 2021-2024 | Various athletes and Organizers | Fuzzy categories, overlapping winners lists, on-going confusions in the list of players that are still being criticised |
The Ministry of Youth and Sports responded to all these controversies with the promise of presenting the awards by maintaining the high level of transparency. Such controversies will remind of enforcing the government’s sector to maintain the fairness and inclusivity while giving away the prestigious award. Because the true sporting heroes shouldn’t be ignored or overlooked since it has the power to discourage the athletes of future generation.
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