The Bangladesh Cricket Board on Monday came forward to bail out Grand Master Ziaur Rahman from financial constraints that had put him at risk of not being able to participate in the Chess World Cup.
‘I am extremely honoured to receive financial aid from the BCB,’ Ziaur told reporters.
‘Cricket is our game of pride and to receive inspiration from them [BCB] is something special,’ he said.
GM Ziaur qualified for the Chess World Cup, scheduled for August 10 in Norway, after becoming the Asian zonal champion in Sri Lanka in February.
However, his participation became doubtful as the National Sports Council did not respond to his call for financial assistance. The Bangladesh Chess Federation also failed to arrange a sponsor for Ziaur.
‘If the sponsorship money was arranged earlier, perhaps I could have
got myself a coach,’ said Ziaur.
‘I came to know that BCB president [Nazmul Hasan] was interested in sponsoring me even before I approached them,’ he added.
Acting BCB chief executive officer Nizamuddin Chowdhury said that BCB president Nazmul Hasan came to know about Ziaur’s financial difficulty and decided to help him.
‘It is our social responsibility to come forward,’ said Nizamuddin.
‘With a chess player of Ziaur’s repute, it became obvious that we lend our hand,’ said Nizamuddin.
Nizamuddin donated Tk 2 lakh to Ziaur at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Monday.
-With New Age input
