Category: General

Lionel Messi began crying before he even started speaking. The “most difficult” moment of his career had arrived and he wasn’t ready for it.

It was time to say goodbye to Barcelona after more than two decades with the Catalan club.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to speak,” he said while trying to compose himself during his farewell news conference at the Camp Nou Stadium on Sunday. “It still hasn’t sunk in that I’m leaving this club, that my life will be changing completely. It will be a difficult change for me and especially for my family. But we have to accept it and move on.”

Messi struggled to control his emotions and cried profusely as he stepped up to the podium at the Camp Nou.

“This is very hard for me after so many years, after being here my entire life,” he said. “I wasn’t prepared.”

Messi said that, unlike last year when he asked to leave, he had his mind set on staying with Barcelona and did everything possible to make it happen, including reducing his salary by 50%. He said he was surprised to hear he wouldn’t be able to stay because of the club’s debt and the Spanish league’s financial fair-play regulations.

“In these last few days I was thinking about what I would say today, but to be honest I couldn’t come up with anything. I was blocked, like I still am right now,” Messi said. “I was convinced that we would remain with the club, which is our home.”

Messi’s family and some of his teammates were at the Camp Nou for the emotional farewell. He was applauded several times by those in the audience.

The 34-year-old Messi avoided speaking specifically about his future, saying he received offers from several clubs after the announcement that he would leave the Catalan club. When asked about Paris Saint-Germain, considered the frontrunner to sign him, Messi admitted it was “a possibility.”

“At this moment I don’t have a deal with any club,” he said.

PSG has been in talks over the weekend with Messi’s team trying to finalize a deal.

Sports daily L’Equipe reported on its website Sunday that Messi was to fly to Paris later Sunday to put the finishing touches on the deal with a view to having a medical exam on Monday morning.

An email from The Associated Press to PSG seeking to confirm the report was not immediately answered.

Messi said he hopes to return to Barcelona in some capacity one day and that he wished he could have said goodbye to fans in a match with a capacity crowd chanting his name. He said it was sad to leave after not being able to play in front of fans for nearly a year and a half.

He said his best moment was his first-team debut in 2004, because “that’s when it all started.” He said he has “no regrets,” but believed he was part of a generation that should have won more Champions League titles.

Winning the Champions League again will remain one of his main goals, as well as closing the gap to former teammate Dani Alves as the most decorated player. The Brazilian defender won his 43rd title at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday. Messi added that he has no immediate plans to retire.

He said it will be “strange” to see Barcelona without Messi, “but with time people will get used to it.” He said the club still has good players and can continue to succeed without him.

Barcelona announced Thursday it could not keep its greatest player because it wasn’t able to fit a new contract within the Spanish league’s financial fair-play regulations. The club’s salary cap has been significantly slashed because of its huge debt. President Joan Laporta blamed the club’s struggles on the coronavirus pandemic and particularly on the previous administration led by Josep Bartomeu.

“We all thought we would reach a solution without any problems, but in the end it wasn’t possible,” Messi said. “As the president said, the club is more important than anyone.”

Messi asked to leave at the end of the 2019-20 season but had his request denied by Bartomeu, with whom he had clashed.

“I wanted to leave then, but not now,” he said. “I didn’t expect it, so it’s sad to have to say goodbye.”

Messi spent nearly two decades with Barcelona after arriving from Argentina as a 13-year-old to play in its youth squads. He made his first-team debut as a 17-year-old, then played 17 seasons with the main squad. He helped the club win the Champions League four times, the Spanish league 10 times, the Copa del Rey seven times and the Spanish Super Cup eight times.

Messi leaves as Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer with 672 goals. He played in 778 matches with the club, also a record. He is also the overall top scorer in the Spanish league with 474 goals from 520 matches. He led the Spanish league in scoring in eight seasons, and was the top scorer in the Champions League six times.

He said none of the challenges he faced on the field compared to the one of saying goodbye to Barcelona.

“There were many tough moments, many losses, but in the end you always went back to training and to playing again,” he said. “This is different. There is no going back. This is the end. Now a new story begins.”

Source: United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh and Australia will play the fifth match of the bilateral T20I series on August 9. Bangladesh have already clinched the series after winning the first three games. Australia triumphed for the first time in the series in the fourth match, avoiding a humiliating whitewash. The visitors will be trying to end the series on a good note, while Bangladesh will be aiming to win the last match to finish the series 4-1. For the series finale, we may also expect a spin-friendly pitch. The fifth T20I match preview of the Bangladesh vs. Australia Series 2021 is discussed in this article.

Bangladesh Team News

Bangladesh players looked uninterested in batting during the fourth match after winning the series against Australia on Friday (August 6). Bangladesh got off to a good start but collapsed in the middle of the innings. Naim (28), Mahedi (23), and Afif (20) all did their best to put up a good score, but Bangladesh only managed 104/9, which Australia chased down with 6 balls to spare.

In the fifth match, we may see some changes in Bangladesh’s playing XI. Mohammad Mithun, Mosaddek Hossain, and Taskin Ahmed may be included in the playing XI in place of Soumya Sarkar, Shamim Hossain, and pacer Shoriful Islam.

Bangladesh’s spinners have been outstanding in this series. Especially, left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed has exhibited his talent, and Australian batters have struggled to deal with his deliveries.

However, Mustafizur Rahman has been the most prolific bowler in this series. The left-arm pacer has found his real form and has become a nightmare for Australian batsmen. He will also be crucial for Bangladesh in the final match.

Predicted XI (Bangladesh)

Mohammad Naim, Mohammad Mithun, Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah Riyad (captain), Mahedi Hasan, Afif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Nurul Hasan (wk), Nasun Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed

Australia Team News

Despite the fact that the visiting side has gained a lot of confidence after winning the fourth match by three wickets against a highly competitive Bangladesh team, especially in home conditions. Bangladesh will try to make a big comeback in the fifth match. Therefore, if Australia are to win the final match of the series before leaving Dhaka, they must perform at their best.

Legbreak bowler Mitchell Swepson and pacer Andrew Tye both had solid performances in the fourth match. They both got three wickets each and their brilliant efforts helped Australia to restrict Bangladesh in a low total. Along with them, Josh Hazlewood and Adam Zampa will be crucial for Australia’s bowling lineup in the next match.

Australia made some changes in the last match. Dan Christian was one of the key players in their playing XI. This power hitter stepped out to bat at no. 3 and smacked five sixes in the fourth over by Shakib Al Hasan. Without a doubt, this affected the overall scenario of the game as Australia chased down the target with an over to spare.

Australia’s in-form batsman Mitchell Marsh and opener Ben McDermott will also be key figures in the final match. However, every individual in the playing XI must do their part effectively to win the series finale match.

Predicted XI (Australia)

Alex Carey, Ben McDermott, Dan Christian, Mitchell Marsh, Moises Henriques, Matthew Wade (captain & wk), Ashton Turner, Ashton Agar, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Swepson, Josh Hazlewood

Pitch Report, Weather and Recent Form

The curator is expected to build a spin-friendly surface as well for the fifth T20I match of the Bangladesh vs. Australia series 2021. Therefore, batters will find it hard to score fast on this surface.Dhaka’s weather will most likely be partly overcast, with a chance of light rain showers in the late afternoon on Monday. Bangladesh have won three of its past five Twenty20 International matches, whereas Australia have only won one of its previous five Twenty20 International matches.

Bottom Line

The fifth T20I match of Bangladesh vs. Australia Series 2021 will be an interesting affair, with both teams looking to finish the series on a high note. Bangladesh will try all out to beat Australia once more, as it would give the team more pleasure and confidence. Bangladesh’s players must replicate their excellent performance, as they did in the previous matches of the series. This match would be much more important for Australia in order to restore some pride. However, Bangladesh will start as the favorite, and we can expect a closely contested series finale match between these two teams.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

Ambassador of Bangladesh to Japan Shahabuddin Ahmed on Sunday recalled the memory of Bangamata Fazilatun Nesa Mujib and said that she was the center of all inspiration for Bangabandhu.

“She remained as a shadow with Bangabandhu all through her life,” said the Ambassador, adding that Bangamata was an ideal woman imbued with patriotism, dedications, sacrifices and farsightedness that new generation specially women should learn from her.

Today is the 91st birth anniversary of Bangamata Fazilatun Nesa Mujib, wife of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The Embassy of Bangladesh in Tokyo observed the day with due respect at the Bangabandhu auditorium of the Mission.

Ambassador Shahabuddin and officials of the embassy were present at the occasion.

The programme started with offering a special prayer seeking the peace and salvation of Bangabandhu, his family members who along with Bangamata Fazilatun Nesa Mujib embraced martyrdom on the fateful night of August 15, 1975.

Besides, the President and the Prime Minister’s messages issued on the occasion were read out to all.

The programme ended with screening a video documentary on the life of Bangamata Fazilatun Nesa Mujib.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Sunday urged the ASEAN member states to intervene in the Rohingya issue and help expedite their repatriation to Myanmar.

“For the last four years, there is no violence in the Rakhaine State, yet none of the displaced people of Myanmar returned to their homes mostly because of fear of uncertainty and trust defect,” he said.

Dr Momen was addressing a virtual programme on the occasion of the 54th ASEAN Day organized by ASEAN Dhaka Committee.

Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, Haznah Md Hashim, High Commissioner of Malaysia and Chair of the ASEAN Dhaka Committee, Haji Haris bin Haji Othman, High Commissioner of Brunei Darussalam; Rina P. Soemarno, Ambassador of Indonesia; Aung Kyaw Moe, Ambassador of Myanmar; Pham Viet Chien, Ambassador of Vietnam; Panom Thongprayoon, Chargé d’Affaires, Royal Thai Embassy; Leo Marco C. Vidal, Chargé d’Affaires at the Embassy of the Philippines; Sheela Pillai, Head of Mission of the Singapore Consulate, Dhaka; Foreign Ministry officials and diplomats from ASEAN member countries joined.

Dr Momen said ASEAN should work together to address their lack of trust and uncertainty and facilitate their safe repatriation.

The prolonged presence of such a huge number of displaced people entails serious ramification on the economy, environment, security, and socio-political stability of not only Bangladesh but the entire region including the ASEAN, he said.

Dr Momen said they need to make a tangible progress in terms of a safe, secure and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingyas to their homeland, Myanmar.

Myanmar agreed to take back their displaced people from Bangladesh and agreed to provide them safety and security and also to create a conducive environment in the Rakhaine State for their return but the pledge remains unmet.

Out of a humanitarian consideration, the Foreign Minister said, Bangladesh is sheltering to 1.1 million Myanmar nationals who were forcibly evicted from their homeland.

Dr Momen said ASEAN is standing at a crossroad of previous success and future opportunities.

Bangladesh considers it crucial to maintain regional peace, stability and security if the region is to attain full potential, he said.

Bangladesh says it is willing to work with ASEAN for the betterment of the people of this entire region and attain the shared vision of future prosperity.

Bangladesh, being located between ASEAN and SAARC, provides a lot of opportunities and potentials to furthering trade, investment and wide economic relations with the ASEAN countries, Dr Momen said.

Bangladesh applied for the status of Secretarial Dialogue Partner of ASEAN, which if received, can add impetus in Bangladesh’s role in bridging these two important regions of the world.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) brings together ten countries with over 660 million people, about 9% of the world’s population, and a combined gross domestic product of more than USD 2.5 trillion.

Throughout the last 50 years, Dr Momen said, the ASEAN has transformed from a loosely constructed regional organization to one of the major players in the world encompassing almost all countries in Southeast Asia.

With its unique geographical location, Bangladesh can act as a “bridge” between South Asia and South East Asia acting as a gateway to the land locked countries of Nepal, Bhutan and Northeast India for the ASEAN countries, Dr Momen said.

The ASEAN Dhaka Committee (ADC) hosted the 54th ASEAN Day to commemorate the founding of ASEAN on 8 August 1967.

Under the national Chairmanship of Brunei Darussalam, the theme for 2021 is “We Care, We Prepare, We Prosper”.

Haznah Md Hashim highlighted the achievement of ASEAN, after 54 years since its establishment, in bringing peace and prosperity to the region, and that ASEAN has been working together in finding a sustainable response to the current pandemic.

She reiterated the significance of ASEAN-Bangladesh relations, and that the ADC will continue to play an active and constructive role as the bridge for the ASEAN Member States in engaging the host government.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

Three days of torrential rainfall have plunged Bagerhat’s acclaimed ‘White Gold’ i.e. shrimp industry into jeopardy once again, with the combined losses in the sector estimated by the authorities at Tk 11 crore.

The ill-fated shrimp farmers of the south-western coastal district are no strangers to excessive rainfall, tidal waves, drought and other natural adversities in the course of a business year, leaving them with heavy losses. This year the pandemic has only increased the burden.

And now the shrimp farmers are demanding a share of the government’s stimuli program for specific industries to recover the damages.

According to Bagerhat Fisheries Department, 16,770 shrimp enclosures, pounds and crab enclosures were washed away in eight upazilas recently by tidal wave and heavy rain.

Kanai Mandal resident of Kainmari village in Mongla upazila said this time the water flowed 1-foot above the enclosures washing away all their nets to save the shrimps.

“Each farmer here lost a minimum of Tk 2-3 lakh worth shrimp and this kind of disaster happens at least twice or thrice every year,” said Kanai Mandal.

Abdur Rahman from Chandpai village said every year crisis of shrimp fries, virus in enclosures, price fall and natural calamities upsets the shrimp farming in this region.

Hit by Cyclone Yaas on May 26, shrimp farmers in Bagerhat incurred losses of upto Tj50 crore taka, said Anwar from Chila village.

Before they could recover from that, the recent heavy rains and tidal waves caused by low pressure created over Bay of Bengal drowned 9,000 enclosures in the area, he said.

According to the fisheries department there are 70,000 shrimp enclosures in the district and 65,804 people’s lives are dependent on shrimp farming.

Fakir Mahitull Islam, president of Bagerhat Shrimp Farmers’ association, said due to back to back losses many have now lost interest in shrimp farming here.

He demanded stimulus packages for farmers and bringing them under insurance policies to keep the shrimp industry alive in Bagerhat.

District Fisheries Department official ASM Russel said the total amount of losses had been estimated and a list of the farmers who incurred losses has already been sent to the higher authorities.

To save the enclosures from frequent tidal waves in future, farmers will need to deepen them and make the edges higher, he said.

“We are providing the farmers with necessary consultation to cope with the natural calamities,” Russel added.

Deputy Commissioner of the district Md Azizur Rahman said the list of the damaged farmers had been sent to the authorities, and hopefully the assistance will soon be forthcoming.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque has said a vested quarter made evil efforts to outshine Bangabandhu’s long struggle for the country’s Liberation War with a false campaign about the proclamation of independence by Ziaur Rahman.

“This is unfortunate that a false campaign was carried out about the proclamation of the country’s independence after Bangabandhu’s assassination in 1975,” he said.

Speaking at a webinar on Saturday night, the minister also said Ziaur Rahman had just read out the proclamation of independence on March 27. “But an effort was made to undermine Bangabandhu’s struggles of 24 years for the country’s independence through it (false campaign about the proclamation of independence.”

Out of his 24 years’ struggle, he said, Bangabandhu had been in jail for nearly 14 years and he gradually created the ground for the Liberation War through different movements and programmes. “Who did give Zia the right to declare independence? People gave only Bangabandhu the authority, right and mandate to proclaim the independence through casting their votes in the 1970 general election.”

The virtual programme titled ‘Bangabandhu, Bangladesh and the Young Generation’ was jointly organised by the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and Better Bangladesh Foundation (BBF) on Saturday night. BBF Founding Chairman Prof Masud A Khan moderated the webinar.

Mozammel said Bangladesh and Bangabandhu have become synonymous – a single identical symbol to people. “He engaged himself in serving people since his childhood. The day Pakistanis denied Bengali, the mother language of 56 percent of people of the country, the young student leader, Sheikh Mujib, realised that we got Punjabi exploiters after getting rid of the British rule.”

He said Sheikh Mujibur Rahman first thought of liberating the country through founding Chhatra League on January 4, 1948.

The minister said Awami League under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman won the general election on December 7, 1970.

“With this election, the Bengali nation gave Bangabandhu the unilateral mandate to lead the country and raise voice in favour of them. He then prepared the nation and finally proclaimed the independence of Bangladesh in the early hours of March 26. People joined the war responding to his call and liberated the country through a nine-month-long battle,” he said.

Mozammel urged the young generation to know the history and the objectives of the country’s Liberation War and work for materialising Bangabandhu’s dream of building a hunger- and poverty-free ‘Sonar Bangla’.

Bangladesh Bank’s former Governor Dr Atiur Rahman said Bangabandhu inspired the young generation to liberate the country under his able leadership. ”The average age of our freedom fighters was 21-22, and 78 percent of them were the children of farmers.”

He said Bangabandhu thought about the welfare of the young generation throughout his life. “He had great feelings for the youth. He was the leader who could transmit energy among the youth.”

Dr Atiur said Bangabandhu was the heart of Bangladesh and this heart was torn out on August 15, 1975, “The killers had thought the name of Bangabandhu will be eliminated through his assassination. But he returned among us very strongly and will always remain among us. Bangabandhu is an eternal name which will glitter always.”

He said Bangladesh has been progressing fast under the able leadership of Bangabandhu’s daughter Sheikh Hasina. “The country now needs to focus on skills development of its workforce to face the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). We also need to take initiatives for re-skilling and upskilling of our workforce involving the youths.”

Atiur said the government should focus on improving the ease of doing business for boosting the country’s progress and creating more employment for the young generation.

Bangladesh Ambassador to Jordan Nahida Sobhan said Bangabandhu was active over the issues of people’s rights and he demonstrated his high leadership quality since his early student life. “He took the country towards the independence gradually by preparing the nation for the Liberation War.”

“So, I urge the young generation to know the life and works of Bangabandhu and get inspired to play a significant role in taking the country forward,” she said.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

Smart device brand Oppo recently offered a discount on its smartphone F19 Pro.

The buyers can now get the phone at Tk26,990, down from the original price of Tk28,990.

F19 Pro is a mid-range phone with Dual-View Video and AI Color Portrait Video, new crystal silver design with Reno Glow Effect, 30W VOOC Flash Charge 4.0 and Game Focus Mode.

The phone is now available in two variants along with its Crystal Silver colour limited edition across the country at all the outlets.

Also, buyers can order any Oppo device from home by calling 09610997791. Home delivery will be provided free of charge, according to a press release.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

A three-member committee has been formed to investigate the “affair” between Golam Saklain Shithil, additional deputy commissioner (ADC) of Detective Branch (DB), and Dhallywood actress Pori Moni.

The Police Headquarters confirmed this to UNB Sunday night.

Police Headquarters Additional Deputy Inspector General (Training) Mia Masud Karim will lead the committee. The two other members are Hamida Parveen, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Women Support and Investigation Centre, and Rumana Akter, special superintendent (forensic) of the Criminal Investigation Division.

The committee has been asked to submit its report within 15 working days.

Saklain was introduced to Pori Moni in June this year when he was a supervising officer of a case filed with Airport Police Station under the Narcotics Control Act against businessman Nasir Uddin Mahmood.

Nasir was arrested by DB on June 15 from Uttara over a case filed with Savar Police Station by Pori Moni for an alleged attempt to rape and murder her.

According to media reports, Saklain had been maintaining a relationship with Pori Moni secretly.

But the matter came to light when members of Rapid Action Battalion detained Pori Moni from her Banani flat on August 4.

They seized foreign liquor and narcotics from there. Later, a case was filed with Banani Police station against her the following day.

CCTV footage, which was leaked recently, showed that Pori Moni went to the official flat of Saklain in Rajarbagh police officers’ residential area on the morning of August 1 and came out after around 18 hours.

Several media ran reports about their alleged relationship on Friday.

Following the reports, ADC Saklain was relieved from his duty as ADC DB Gulshan Division on Saturday morning and was transferred to the Public Order Management West in the afternoon.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam said he has been enjoying himself in the partnership with Mustafizur Rahman. The young pacer posed a strong challenge to the Australian batting line-up in the ongoing five-match T20I series.

Bangladesh won the first three matches and wrapped up the series. But they conceded a defeat in the fourth match. Now the Tigers are set to take on the Aussies in the fifth and final match of the series on Monday at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.

“Everyone in our team is doing their parts well,” Shoriful told the media on Sunday. “Nothing is left on a specific player. Instead of that, everyone is playing their own rules accurately, which eventually is making us a stronger team.”

In the first match of the series, Bangladesh had put only 131 runs while batting first. Despite a low score, the hosts managed to win the match by 23 runs. In the second match, they had chased down a target of 122 runs with five wickets in hand, and in the third match, they defended a total of 127 runs and won by 10 runs.

The winning streak came to an end in the fourth match when the hosts ended up scoring only 104 runs while batting first. They still fought valiantly and lost in the 19th over.

“We knew that the wicket of Mirpur will help the spinners a lot. So we (the pace bowlers) have prepared ourselves keeping that in mind. We thought the cutters and slowers would work better on this sort of surface. This is why we bowled more cutters and slowers that resulted in wins as well,” Shoriful, who took seven wickets in four matches in this series, added.

“I always try to learn from Mustafiz, follow the way he delivers his cutters. I tried those delivers in the nets, but I need to work on those more to have the confidence to bring those to international cricket,” Shoriful further added.

Shoriful paired up with Mustafiz in the Bangabandhu T20 Cup earlier. He also played with Mustaiz in the Dhaka Premier Divison T20 Cricket League, and now the left-arm pacers are playing for the national team together. Shoriful said he has been enjoying the company of Mustafiz.

“Mustafiz is so fast to read the batsmen. He is a more experienced bowler than me. He often comes to me in the match and advises me how to bowl well. Sometimes, I also go to him and take his advice which helps me a lot,” Shoriful added.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

Huawei Cloud recently announced its plans, including cloud collaboration and innovation programme to supercharge startup growth at the Asia-Pacific Spark Founders Summit held simultaneously in Singapore and Hong Kong.

The Chinese telecom giant will take four initiatives to that end.

The first initiative involves joint outreach by Huawei Cloud and Huawei Mobile Services (HMS).

Huawei will combine Cloud infrastructure with HMS to empower all industries – from media, entertainment, and finance, to the industrial Internet, healthcare, and education. Huawei Cloud and HMS developers and partners will benefit from unified accounts, one-stop development platforms, and one-stop app distribution and marketing.

Their second initiative is all about continuous tech innovation. Huawei Cloud’s Cloud-Native 2.0 solution helps enterprises build full-stack, agile capabilities by leveraging highly efficient infrastructure and leading cloud-native technologies. Singapore-based startup Nestia, online car marketplace UCARS, and Indonesian express delivery company have benefitted from the solution.

The third initiative will help the startups in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) expand their business into the global market. Huawei Cloud operates 45 availability zones in 23 different geographic regions.

Also, Huawei Cloud will offer a high-quality business ecosystem. It has built high-quality ecosystems for startups in APAC, covering consulting services, SaaS partners, software partners, as well as governments, and top venture capitals.

“We work with local governments, leading incubators, well-known VCs, and universities, building support platforms for startups across many regions. We launched the Spark Program in APAC last year, with 40 startups joining us so far. We have already helped four of these startups launch new products and completely transform their businesses while helping eight enter new markets.” Zhang Ping’an, senior vice-president of Huawei, said.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

The cauldron will be snuffed Sunday on the exhausting, enlightening, sometimes enraging 2020 Tokyo Olympics — held, actually, in 2021. These are the Games that were to be tolerated, not celebrated.

They will be both.

Imperfect but not impossible, these Olympics — willed into existence despite a pandemic that sparked worldwide skepticism and hard-wired opposition from Japan’s own citizens — just might go down as the Games that changed sports for good.

These became the Olympics where the athletes had their say. The Olympics where mental health became as important as physical. The Olympics where tales of perseverance — spoken, documented and discussed loudly and at length — often overshadowed actual performance.

It wasn’t only those who stood on the medals stand at the hyper-scrutinized pressure cooker in Tokyo, where spit tests for COVID-19 and sleeping on cardboard-framed beds were part of the daily routine. It was all of them.

Their voices were heard, in big ways and small, through hundreds of reminders that their mental and physical health were not for sale, not even to the $15.5 billion behemoth that underwrites many of their grandest dreams.

Those voices were notably reflected in the words of Simone Biles, who, early on, reset the conversation when she pulled out of the gymnastics meet, declaring her well-being was more important than medals.

“It was something that was so out of my control. At end of the day, my mental and physical health is better than any medal,” said Biles, who benched herself while battling “the twisties.”

And by Naomi Osaka, the tennis player who lit the cauldron on Day 1, but only after spending the summer insisting that the world listen to her — really listen — instead of only watching her on the court. The planet’s highest-paid female athlete and the host country’s poster girl, she faced expectations that were hard to handle.

“I definitely feel like there was a lot of pressure for this,” said Osaka.

Hundreds of athletes found some way to use their voices in ways they hadn’t considered until the Tokyo Games — and the seismic 18 months that led up to it — all but commanded it.

They learned to talk about what it felt like to make sacrifices and accommodations for four years, then five, to come to the Games without friends and family, to put themselves out there, and to know they will be judged not on who they are but on how fast they run, how well they shoot, or whether they stick the landing.

“I’ve been afraid that my worth is tied to whether or not I win or lose,” Allyson Felix wrote the morning before her bronze-medal run in the 400 meters made her the most decorated female track athlete in Olympic history. “But right now I’ve decided to leave that fear behind. To understand that I am enough.”

They came in all shapes and sizes. A transgender weightlifter, a nonbinary skateboarder, and Quinn, the first openly transgender Olympian to win a gold medal. Teenage skateboarders, and surfers seeking gnarly waves — most of whom never dreamed of being on the Olympic stage, hugging and sharing tips and reminding us all that this is supposed to be fun.

They wove tales about sportsmanship: the high jumpers headed for a tension-filled tiebreaker for first, who stepped back and told a track official they should both win a gold.

And about advocacy: soccer players looking at a midday gold-medal game in the searing heat of the Olympic Stadium and deciding they deserved better. The world’s top tennis players demanding their matches be rescheduled, a request that went unheeded until Paula Badosa left the court in a wheelchair with heatstroke and Daniil Medvedev told the chair umpire, “I can finish the match but I can die. If I die, are you going to be responsible?”

And about mental health: During a teary post-race interview, sprinter Noah Lyles conceded he came as much to run as to spread the gospel that became the slogan of these fraught Games held during fraught times: It’s OK not to be OK.

And about gender equity and inclusion: The International Olympic Committee added five new sports and 18 new events for Tokyo to create an equal number of women and men for every sport, excluding baseball and softball. But when Britain’s first female Black swimmer was denied use of a cap that fit her voluminous afro, the conversation on a lack of diversity in the pool became louder.

“I just want people to know that no matter your race or background, if you don’t know how to swim, get in and learn to swim,” Alice Dearing, co-founder of the Black Swimming Association, said after the women’s open water marathon. “Don’t let anyone tell you it’s not for you.”

IOC president Thomas Bach said two days before the close that the Tokyo Games “far exceeded my personal expectations,” because when spectators were barred as a pandemic precaution he feared “these Olympic Games could become an Olympic Games without soul.”

Instead, Bach said, he found the intimacy in the empty venues made for an intense atmosphere. “In many cases you did not realize that there were no spectators,” he said. “Maybe in some cases you could even experience the feelings of the athletes closer and better than being surrounded by so many spectators.”

It is Bach’s job to call the Olympics a success. Maybe, though, that goal was met in Tokyo just by reaching the finish line. But of course there were highlights along the way.

— Italy shockingly establishing itself as a sprint power with a surprise win by Marcell Jacobs in the men’s 100 meters followed by “four Ferraris” teaming to win the 4X100 relay for another gold medal.

— Lydia Jacoby, the first swimmer from Alaska in the Olympics won gold, and Caeleb Dressel collecting five golds in the pool.

— Sunisa Lee, the first Hmong American Olympian, winning gold in the women’s all-around. And in these games where social media use soared and TikTok became the platform of choice for the Olympians, Lee blaming her bronze on the uneven bars from the distractions created by her new Internet fame.

— Streaming use surging among viewers, and NBC reporting that 3 billion minutes of content watched on its platforms were digital.

“I think the whole world will be quite happy that this event is going on in sports, in the times that we’re living in right now,” said Alexander Zverev after winning gold in men’s singles tennis for Germany in front of countryman Bach.

Though there were intermittent protests — a group of 10 or so outside the tennis final, loud enough that the players could hear and another small crowd outside Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony and before track and field events — the Japanese did have reason to celebrate. The host nation set a goal to win 30 medals in Tokyo and nearly doubled that number with 56 as of Saturday night.

Outside the Olympic bubble, COVID-19 cases soared in Tokyo to daily record highs, although Bach exonerated the Olympics because 11,000 athletes were placed away from the population and regular testing for everyone else produced extremely low rates of positives.

The pandemic still rages, and the Beijing Winter Games are set to open a mere six months from now. And COVID-19 is just one of the issues facing the next scheduled Olympics — the IOC has rejected several recent demands to move the Games from China over allegations of human rights violations.

“Our responsibility is to deliver the Games,” said IOC spokesman Mark Adams. “It is the responsibility of others — the United Nations, who have been very supportive of the Olympic Games, and governments to deal with this — and not for us. The IOC has to remain neutral.”

The IOC did get involved when Belarus attempted to return sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya to her country after she criticized coaches on social media. It helped intervene as she instead went to Poland with a humanitarian visa. Then it booted two Belarus coaches from the Olympics, their credentials revoked for their role in the Tsimanouskaya saga.

The Games, of course, will go on. They always do. Japan will hand the Summer Olympics flag to France on Sunday for the 2024 Paris Games. Tokyo organizers will end with a “Worlds We Share”-themed ceremony designed to make athletes and viewers “think about what the future holds” and “expresses the idea that each of us inhabits their own world.”

The athletes did that already in Tokyo, where the Olympics will be forever remembered as the Games that persevered.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

All the judicial activities of benches under the High Court division of the Supreme Court will operate virtually from August 11.

The High Court Division issued a notification in this regard following the cabinet division’s direction on Sunday.

All the activities of the High Court benches will be operated through virtual presence, following the ‘Use of Information Technology by the Courts Act, 2020’ and practice, said the notification.

The government has decided to ease the ongoing nationwide lockdown from August 11 with a few guidelines to follow in different sectors and people’s movements and gatherings.

The Cabinet Division issued a notification in this regard Sunday saying with some restrictions imposed during the lockdown will be lifted following the decision taken in an inter-ministerial meeting held on Aug. 3.

From August 11, all the government, private offices and banks will be opened following the health guidelines said the notification.

It said Bangladesh Supreme Court will issue necessary directives about the courts.

Source: United News of Bangladesh