The government will build Sports Villages in all 64 districts for the development of the sports sector, said Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, while unveiling the proposed national budget for 2026-2027 fiscal year in Parliament on Thursday.

“To establish sports as a profession, sports allowances have already been provided to 300 athletes. We have undertaken an initiative to construct Sports Villages in all 64 districts, and as part of this initiative, preliminary designs for Sports Villages have already been prepared in 10 districts,” he said.

The finance minister in his budget speech also said planned and effective measures are being taken with the goal of enabling Bangladesh to secure a recognized position in several sporting disciplines by 2030.

The minister said initiatives have also been taken to strengthen “sports diplomacy” to enhance international cooperation.

He said regular sports competitions and tournaments will be organised at various levels to ensure that every student has the opportunity to participate in at least one sport.

Amir Khosru said the sports sector will be developed not merely as a source of entertainment but as a full-fledged economic sector where sports, events, media, merchandise, tourism and services collectively generate income, employment and investment opportunities.

In line with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's declaration, he said, the “Notun Kuri Sports” programme has already been launched to provide scholarships to talented sports students aged between 12 and 14 years.

The programme covers eight disciplines; football, cricket, kabaddi, athletics, badminton, chess, swimming and martial arts.

The finance minister said  a total of 168,622 young athletes from across the country have registered under the programme, including 121,492 boys and 47,130 girls.

To support the initiative, he proposed an allocation of Tk 200 crore in the FY2026-27 budget.