Country's celebrated weightlifter and SA Games gold medal-winning Mabia Akhter Simanta clinched gold with new record in her favourite 64 kgs weight category event of the Bangabandhu 9th Bangladesh Games held in Mymensingh District gymnasium on Wednesday. Mabia, a lifter of Bangladesh Ansar, smartly clinched the event's gold medal with new national mark lifting total 181 kgs -- 80 kgs in snatch and 101 kgs in clean & jerk. Read: 3-day Bangabandhu 44th National Athletics commences The previous best record of Mabia was 179 kgs made in the Inter-Services Weightlifting Competition held in 2018. Mila Akhter of Bangladesh Army won the event's silver lifting 132 kgs while Laboni Akhter of Shipahi Bagh JS took the bronze lifting 116 kgs. Read 3 IU female students win medals in Bangladesh Games  

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina opened multi-sport extravaganza Bangabandhu 9th Bangladesh Games on Thursday at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in the capital. She joined the inaugural ceremony from her official residence Ganobhaban virtually in the evening. Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) is organising the Bangladesh Games at 29 separate venues across the country. Addressing the opening ceremony, Prime Minister Hasina urged all athletes of 31 sports disciplines of the Games to make themselves fit enough to compete in the Olympics in the future. “Alongside showing your skills in (9th Bangladesh Games), make yourselves properly fit to participate in the Olympic Games anywhere in the world in the future,” she said. She said the government will take steps to arrange international training to make sportspersons prepared so that they can take part in some events of the Olympic Games. “We want to develop our athletes in such a way,” she said. The PM urged all the athletes to follow the health protection rules as it is being held amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Also read: Avoid public gatherings, wear masks to fight Covid surge, PM urges all She also asked the organiser to pay attention so that health rules are maintained during the Bangabandhu 9th Bangladesh Games. Sheikh Hasina said sports are absolutely needed, particularly for our small children and youths.

Bangladesh Women Blue team lift the title of the Bangabandhu 9th Bangladesh Games beating Bangladesh Women Green by eight wickets on Friday in Sylhet.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Tuesday announced three different teams for the upcoming Bangabandhu 9th Bangladesh Games.