Bangladesh Ansar retained the crown of the Bangladesh Games for the third time in a row as the services organisation topped the medals table in the eighth
version of the Games which concluded on Sunday.
A total of 469 athletes represented Bangladesh Ansar in 23 of the 31 disciplines in the Games and scripted their name as champions in 13 disciplines. They finished with 250 medals including 111 golds.
Ansar won all the 12 gold medals on offer in fencing even though they were unable to prove their credentials in athletics and swimming, the two most important disciplines in any Games.
However, Ansar finished on top of the medals tally in the Bangladesh Games among more than 100 participating teams due to their inner strength and belief, claimed Major General Nazim Uddin, director general of Bangladesh Ansar and VDP.
‘First of all, I express gratitude to my athletes who fared exceedingly well. When I took up the charge in December last year, I heard about the Bangladesh Games and took some initiatives to maintain our success,’ said Nazim Uddin.
‘I ensured all training facilities for the athletes and also increased their monthly allowance from Tk 3,500 to Tk 6,000 and in the future the amount will increase on the basis of their performances. I tried to put an end to all their financial problems which helped them think solely about the Games,’ he added.
‘During the preparation period, I was personally taking care of all the disciplines. On some occasions, I myself joined the training camp to encourage the athletes. We provided them with nutritious food and playing equipment and tried to fulfil their needs as much as possible. That is the reason for our success,’ he explained.
Bangladesh Ansar athletes were facing a few problems before General Nazim Uddin took over the charge and solved them all.
‘As a sportsman, I always believed that if you want success from the athletes, you must provide them with good facilities. We are the champions but it is not the end, it is
only the beginning. I instructed all my officers to make preparations for the ninth Bangladesh Games from today (Sunday),’ he added.
‘To sustain the success in the future, we will try to find out a large number of freshers to strengthen our sports section,’ said an optimist Nazim Uddin.
SM Alam, former official of the Bangladesh Ansar, reserved his appreciation for the newly appointed director general but he was fearing about the continuation of the athletes’ facilities.
`I am very elated with the results and would like to thank the director general (Major General Nazim Uddin) but it is very important to make sure the athletes get maximum facilities. If the quality of the facilities decreases, it will be difficult to maintain the success in the future,’ said Alam, one of the most famous faces in the sports arena.
-With New Age input
