Dhaka: With an aim of building a new Bangladesh, the Festival of Youth 2025 is being celebrated across the country with the slogan ‘Let’s change the country, change the world’. The Bangladesh Kabaddi Federation (BKF) has joined this festival by organizing the ‘Youth Kabaddi (under-18 boys’ and girls’) competition’, which began on January 20.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Youth Kabaddi competition was held in 61 districts across the country, involving participation from 339 upazilas divided into eight zones. A total of 529 boys’ and girls’ teams participated in the event nationwide, with 331 teams in the boys’ category and 198 in the girls’ category. Following the district and zonal phases, the best teams are now poised for the national stage.
The national round will be held from February 15-18 at Paltan ground. Champions and runners-up teams from the boys’ and girls’ divisions of Madhumati, Teesta, Dhansiri, Brahmaputra, Rupsa, Surma, Padma, and Karnaphuli zones will participate. These teams comprise the best players nominated from the grassroots level, ready to compete on the national stage.
A press conference was held at the Bangladesh Olympic Association auditorium to detail the final stage of the meet. Present at the conference were BKF vice president Hafizur Rahman Khan, general secretary SM Newaz Sohag, and Festival of Youth Kabaddi organizing committee head of marketing Wahid Murad.
BKF general secretary SM Newaz Sohag stated that the purpose of the youth kabaddi competition is to select future players. Through a rigorous selection process, 7,000 players were identified, from which fifty boys and an equal number of girls will be chosen. These players will be trained under foreign coaches, with an eight-member selection panel ensuring a robust selection process.
Sohag emphasized the committee’s efforts to revive the lost glory of kabaddi, highlighting the need for financial resources and intensive practice to secure medals. He also mentioned that Bangladesh has numerous tournaments scheduled domestically and internationally this year, including a five-match test series with Nepal. Efforts are also underway to involve Pakistan, Iran, and India in future series.