Doha: The Qatar Foundation has pledged its support to develop sports facilities for Bangladeshi women athletes, aiming to strengthen their capacity and support their careers. This announcement came from Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, CEO of the Qatar Foundation, during a meeting with Bangladesh Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the Earthna Summit in Doha.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the meeting, attended by four Bangladeshi national players from cricket and football, was an opportunity for the athletes to share their personal journeys and challenges in pursuing sports careers in Bangladesh. Sheikha Hind, a former top Qatari athlete and sister of the Emir, expressed admiration for their resilience upon hearing their stories.
The athletes highlighted the lack of basic facilities such as dormitories, gyms, and training centers for women athletes in Bangladesh. In response, Sheikha Hind announced that the Qatar Foundation would support the establishment of a dedicated foundation in Bangladesh to build and manage these facilities.
Professor Yunus confirmed that the foundation for women athletes would be established soon and sought Qatar Foundation's comprehensive support to develop dormitories, training fields, healthcare services, conference spaces, and accommodations for international guests. This Bangladeshi foundation aims to offer special short courses for sports girls from SAARC, BIMSTEC, ASEAN, Middle East countries, and rural areas of Bangladesh.
Additionally, Professor Yunus shared his vision of launching a social business fund to help retired athletes transition into entrepreneurship, which Sheikha Hind showed interest in supporting. Earlier, Professor Yunus also met Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of the Qatar Foundation, discussing various cooperation areas between the two nations. Sheikha Moza expressed her interest in visiting Bangladesh soon.