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First-ever 200-km Coastal Ultra Marathon to be held in Cox’s Bazar on Thursday
Country’s first-ever 200-kilometer Coastal Ultra Maratho’ 2025 beginning on Thursday (February 20) at the tourist town of Cox’s Bazar.
The three-day Coastal Ultra (Marathon)’ 2025, organized by Voluntary organization Coastal Ultra Bangladesh, with a slogan of “save the sea, save the planet” will be held at the Marin Drive Road of Cox’s Bazar from February 20 to 22.
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Ultra Marathon or Ultra Run is a long distance run, 42.20-kilometer more than marathon race and minimum of which was 50 kilometers race.
Some 400 foreign and local athletes will compete in four categories of races -–50 kilometers, 100 kilometers, 100 miles and 200 kilometers, under the co-operation of Bangladesh Athletics Federation, Bangladesh Tourism Board and Cox’s Bazar District Administration.
5 hours ago
Bangladesh Archery team leaves for Bangkok
An 18-member Bangladesh Archery team, out of 19, left Dhaka for Thailand’s Bangkok to participate in the 2025 Asian Cup World Ranking Tournament, Stage 1, beginning on Tuesday (February 18).
The team consists of 13 archers and six officials.
3-day National Athletics Championship 2025 begins Monday
Recurve Men’s Archers: Rakib Miah, M Mishad Prodan, Ram Krishna Saha, and Mohammad Sagor Islam.
Recurve Women’s Archers: Shima Akhter Shimu, Ety Khatun, and Sonali Roy.
Compound Men’s Archers: M Sohel Rana, Himu Basar, and Newas Ahmed Rakib.
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Compound Women’s Archers: Puspita Zaman, Bonnya Akhter, and Khurshid Jahan.
General Secretary of the Bangladesh Archery Federation, Kazi Rajib Uddin Ahmed Chapal, will present the latest developments on hosting the upcoming 24th Asian Archery Championship 2025 in Bangladesh during the World Archery Asia meeting.
1 day ago
3-day National Athletics Championship 2025 begins Monday
The three-day 48th National Athletics Championship 2025, organised by the Bangladesh Athletics Federation (BAF), will begin on Monday at the National Stadium in Dhaka.
Adviser of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, LGRD and Cooperatives, Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan will inaugurate the event on Monday afternoon as the chief guest.
Secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, M Rezaul Maksud Zahedi, will be the special guest at the function, which will be chaired by BAF President Major General (Retd) Dr. Mohammad Nayeem Ashfaque Chowdhury.
A total of 445 athletes from 41 teams representing different districts and organizations are expected to participate in 40 events over the three-day meet — 22 for men and 18 for women.
Details of the meet were disclosed by BAF officials at a press conference held at the National Stadium's conference room in Dhaka on Sunday.
BAF Vice President M Iqbal Hossain, General Secretary M Shah Alam, and Joint Secretary M Kitab Ali, among others, were present at the press conference.
1 day ago
Dour becomes kit partner of Bangladesh football teams for next 2yrs
Local sportswear brand Dour has been named the official kit partner of Bangladesh’s men’s, women’s, and age-group football teams for the next two years.
Under the agreement, Dour will provide match and practice jerseys for all national and age-group teams. The partnership was formalised through a signing ceremony held at the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) office on Tuesday.
BFF President Tabith Awal, BFF Vice President Fahad Karim, and Dour CEO Abid Alam Chowdhury were present at the signing event.
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According to the agreement, the two-year contract will be reviewed after one year.
Dour will begin its sponsorship this month by supplying jerseys to the Bangladesh women’s football team, which is set to travel to the UAE later this month for two international friendly matches against the hosts on February 26 and March 2.
6 days ago
Esports Olympics to debut in Saudi Arabia later than expected in 2027
The first Olympic Esports Games will be hosted in Riyadh in 2027, two years later than expected when a 12-year deal with Saudi Arabia was signed last year.
The International Olympic Committee said Tuesday its founding partner for the event will be the kingdom’s Esports World Cup Foundation.
The first annual Esports World Cup was held last July and August in Riyadh with tens of millions of dollars in prize money paid for games including Call of Duty, Fortnite and Street Fighter.
It is unclear which, if any, shooter games the IOC will allow on the Esports Olympics program, which it has repeatedly said must align with Olympic values.
A six-person panel, co-chaired by veteran IOC member Ser Miang Ng and Saudi sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, will work on deciding the games program, the IOC said.
Details of the inaugural Esports Olympics were confirmed two days after Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman hosted a visiting Olympic delegation in Riyadh, including its president Thomas Bach, who leaves office in June.
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The 12-year deal was confirmed last July on the eve of the Paris Olympics as the latest prime sporting asset for the oil-rich kingdom to own or host. FIFA confirmed Saudi Arabia as host of the 2034 World Cup in men's soccer in December.
IOC members were told in Paris the vision for the Esports Olympics was to hold it every two years starting in 2025, with “physical, simulated and electronic games” included.
Qualifying competitions for national teams are set to start this year.
6 days ago
Gene Barge, renowned sax man and producer known as 'Daddy G,' dies at 98
Gene “Daddy G” Barge, an admired and durable saxophone player, songwriter and producer who worked on hits by Natalie Cole, oversaw recordings by Muddy Waters, performed with the Rolling Stones and helped inspire the dance classic “Quarter to Three,” has died. He was 98.
He died in his sleep Sunday at his home in Chicago, according to daughter Gina Barge.
Barge’s career spanned much of the post-World War II era. He was in college jazz combos in the 1940s, backed Little Richard and James Brown when they were starting out, played a long, sweet solo on the ’50s standard “C.C. Rider” and collaborated with Gary “U.S.” Bonds on “Quarter to Three” and other ’60s party favorites. He later recorded with such blues greats as Waters, Buddy Guy and Willie Dixon, co-produced Cole’s Grammy Award-winning single “Sophisticated Lady,” toured with the Stones in the early 1980s and even played on Public Enemy’s “New Whirl Odor” album, for which he was credited as “the legendary Mr. Gene Barge.”
Often cited as a precursor to the E Street Band's Clarence Clemons, he held rare status among saxophonists — so well known for a time that he was called out by name on two hits of the early ’60s — “Quarter to Three” and the uptempo doo-wop number “Bristol Stomp,” in which the Dovells sing: “It started in Bristol at a dee jay hop/They hollered and whistled never wanted to stop/We pony and twisted and we rocked with Daddy G.”
In the 1970s and after, he had success as a character actor in thrillers and crime stories, his films including “Above the Law,” “The Package” and “The Fugitive.” Barge was also a consultant for Martin Scorsese’s documentary “The Blues.”
When the musician was in his 80s, Public Enemy’s Chuck D called him “the flyest octogenarian I know.”
The eldest of eight children, James Gene Barge was born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, and dreamed of professional football before playing clarinet with his high school marching band inspired him to try music. He took up the tenor saxophone shortly after ending a two-year stint in the Air Force and right before enrolling in West Virginia State College: His father, a welder in the Norfolk Navy Yard, had been given one by a visiting British World War II soldier.
“The saxophone was the instrument, coming up, that had the sound closest to the human voice,” Barge told Virginia Living in 2007. “It was the one with the impact. It was the featured instrument in the band, so that was the one you wanted to play.”
By the 1950s, Barge was jamming with local jazz and rhythm and blues groups and leading the Gene Barge Band. The release of his instrumental “Country,” a minor hit in 1955, helped bring on a bigger commercial breakthrough.
Rhythm and blues singer Chuck Willis invited him to join his touring band and brought him to a recording session for Atlantic Records in New York. Willis was recording the sinuous “C.C. Rider,” which topped the R&B charts in 1957 and was covered by Elvis Presley, the Grateful Dead and many others. The studio saxophone player wasn’t working out, so Barge stepped in.
“They did 27 takes and weren’t satisfied. So Chuck said, ‘Look, why don’t you just let Gene run down one to get the feel,’” he told Virginia Living. “So I ran down one and they said, ‘Hold on, that’s it, you got it. Let’s cut it.’ ... And two or three takes later, man, we had cut the song.”
Barge had even greater success a few years later. He had returned to Norfolk, working with a Legrand label owner Frank Guida and forming the Church Street Five, named for a major city roadway. The Church Street musicians would cut an instrumental, “A Night With Daddy G,” that was the basis of “Quarter to Three” and led to Barge’s professional nickname.
“Daddy G” originally referred to a local preacher, Bishop “Daddy” Grace, one of whose churches was near Legrand and the site for local shows that included members of the Church Street Five. "A Night With Daddy G” was a driving dance track led by Barge’s hot tenor sax and influenced by New Orleans rhythm and blues. Bonds, a fellow Legrand artist and childhood friend of Barge’s, loved the song. But he thought it needed lyrics, writing in his memoir “By U.S. Bonds” that it lacked a “catchy phrase that makes you anticipate the entire melody.”
“The players were setting up and they started playing ‘A Night With Daddy G,’” Bonds wrote of the studio session, “and I started singing some nonsense and it occurred to me that maybe I could add some words.”
“Quarter to Three,” a No. 1 hit in 1961, became a rock standard and a featured part of Bruce Springsteen’s concerts. Now known to many as “Daddy G,” Barge would collaborate on other hits with Bonds, including “School Is Out” and “Dear Lady Twist,” and work with a wide range of artists over the following decades.
With Chicago’s Chess Records, he played on such hits as Fontella Bass’ “Rescue Me” and produced albums by Waters and Little Milton among others. With Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee, he arranged the gospel favorites “Lord Don’t Move the Mountain,” by Inez Andrews, and the Beautiful Zion Baptist Church’s “I’ll Make It Alright.”
Barge’s Chicago connection helped lead to his work with Natalie Cole, daughter of Nat “King” Cole. He befriended the writing-producing team of Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancey and helped produce and arrange the 1970s albums “Natalie” and “Unpredictable” among others. In a 2023 podcast with his daughter Gina, Barge remembered the late singer as “one of the most talented” performers he worked with and most intelligent, “very knowledgeable” about the music business in part because of her father.
Barge’s own album, “Dance With Daddy G,” came out in 1965. More recently, he self-released “Olio,” which included cameos from bluesman Buddy Guy and soul star Otis Clay, and he was on stage often as a member of the Chicago Rhythm and Blues Kings.
“I’m sitting here looking at my horn now, feeling guilty because I didn’t get enough practice time in today — I’m mad because I didn’t write a song, or the intro to a song. I got things to do. I’m not looking back,” Barge told Virginia Living. “My philosophy is that you’ve got to move forward, stay contemporary, read, keep up with the young people. Because that’s the future.”
1 week ago
Former national player Mamunur Rahsid selected head coach of National Hockey team
Bangladesh Hockey Federation (BHF) on Monday selected former national player Mamunur Rashid as the head coach of the Bangladesh National Hockey team after about nine years.
He will trained the Bangladesh Hockey team for the AHF Cup Hockey Tournament to be held in Indonesian capital Jakarta from April 17 to 27 this year.
Another national player Moshiur Rahman Biplob named as the Assistant Coach while Alamgir Islam as trainer of the national hockey team.
Bangladesh Hockey Federation (BHF) officially informed the matter to Mamunur Rashid over phone on Monday and hinted to sign contract with him on February 9.
A selection panel of Bangladesh Hockey Federation including BHF general secretary Lt, Coln Riazul Hasan (retd) , member Abu Zafar Tapon, Hossain Imam Chowdhury Shanta and Jamal Haider finalized the coaching team after taking interview with intending candidates.
Mamunur Rashid, who trained the Bangladesh national hockey team for the World Hockey League Round-2 in Sinagpore in 2015, successfully guided the Dhaka Mariner Youngs Club to the champions in the Dhaka League and Club Cup Hockey.
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In an immediate reaction, Mamun said, It’s always a great honour to work for the nation, I was selected head coach again after nine years, Bangladesh emerged champions in the same tournament earlier, and this time our target is to repeat it.
The fitness test of national players for the AHF Cup Hockey will begin here on February 20.
2 weeks ago
Sydney's Olympic stadium to host Rugby World Cup final in 2027
Sydney's 83,000-seat Olympic Stadium will once again host a Rugby World Cup final, this time in 2027 and 24 years after the home team was left bitterly disappointed in the championship match against England.
RWC 2027 organizers announced Thursday that Sydney would host five pool matches, two round-of-16 matches, two quarterfinals, both semifinals, the bronze match and the tournament finale.
They also announced six other host cities for the 24-team tournament scheduled to run from Oct. 1 to Nov. 13, 2027.
They were Melbourne (seven pool matches and two round-of-16 matches), Brisbane (six pool matches, two round-of 16 matches and two quarterfinals), Perth (five pool matches, including the tournament opener, and two round of 16 matches), and Adelaide (five pool matches).
The other two host cities will be Newcastle, which is located north of Sydney, and Townsville in north Queensland state. They will host four pool matches each.
In the 2003 final Jonny Wilkinson landed a dropped goal with seconds remaining in extra time to give England a 20-17 victory over the Wallabies in front of a Rugby World Cup-record crowd of 82,957 at the stadium built for the 2000 Olympics.
Four countries have won the World Cup trophy. South Africa became the first to win it four times when the Springboks beat New Zealand in France in 2023. New Zealand has won it three times, Australia twice and England once.
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“Rugby World Cup is among the planet’s biggest sporting events and Australia is incredibly excited to welcome the world to the 2027 edition," Rugby Australia chief executive and former Wallaby Phil Waugh said.
“Australia has a rich history of hosting major tournaments — indeed, we co-hosted the first ever Rugby World Cup almost 40 years ago (1987, with New Zealand) — and I have no doubt this event will captivate and enthrall the hundreds of thousands attending in-stadium and the hundreds of millions viewing around the world.”
Organizers said they expected 250,000 international visitors over the tournament's six-week run would generate 1.3 billion Australian dollars ($811 million) in direct visitor expenditure in Australia.
Australia co-hosted the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987, won it in 1991 and ‘99 — both times in Britain — and reached the final in 2003 and 2015. Australia will host the British and Irish Lions tour mid-year and also stage men’s and women's Rugby World Cups before Brisbane hosts the Olympics in 2032.
“Australia is renowned throughout the world for hosting outstanding global sporting events and I have no doubt the Rugby World Cup 2027 will live up to those lofty standards,” Rugby Australia chairman and 1999 World Cup-winning Wallaby Daniel Herbert said. “The opportunity for Australian rugby over the next few years with the British and Irish Lions visit, two World Cups and a home Olympics is truly extraordinary and one we are ready to build upon."
2 weeks ago
Nine-year old prodigy from Bangladesh beats World Number 1 Carlsen in ‘bullet chess’
A nine-year old Bangladeshi chess player, Ryan Rashid Mugdha, achieved a rare feat by beating five-time world champion Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, one of the greatest chess players of all time, in an online chess platform held on Sunday (January 18).
His extraordinary accomplishment, what many professional players can only dream, has taken the chess world by storm and brought immense pride to Bangladesh.
The sensational match took place on January 18 on Chess.com, the largest online chess platform. Mugdha, a third-grader at South Point School in Dhaka, played using the account of his coach, Naim Haque, as he does not yet have his own profile or official chess title.
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Despite this, Mugdha managed to achieve what many professional players can only dream of defeating one of the greatest chess players of all time.
The game was played in the "bullet" format, a rapid chess variation where players have only one minute to finish their moves. This format is popular among FIDE Masters, International Masters, and Grandmasters.
Through the platform's random pairing system, Mugdha was unexpectedly matched with Carlsen, creating an opportunity for the young talent to showcase his skills.
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Due to an accidental mouse click, Carlsen made the queen move to the wrong square, which created an opportunity for Mugdha to win.
Mugdha is the reigning Under-10 Junior Champion of Bangladesh and represented the country in the Asian School Chess Championship held in Bangkok last December.
4 weeks ago
DU Volleyball: Kabi Jashimuddin Hall, Sergeant Zahurul Huq Hall win
Kabi Jashimuddin Hall and Sergeant Zahurul Huq Hall won their respective boys’ group matches of the Dhaka University Inter-Hall Volleyball Tournament that began on Tuesday at the University Central playground.
Earlier, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Administration) of Dhaka University and the President of University Sports Board Prof Dr. Sayema Haque Bidisha inaugurated the meet.
Muktijoddha Ziaur Rahman Hall beat Kabi Jashimuddin Hall by straight 2-0 sets while Sergeant Zahurul Huq Hall defeated Dr Muhammad Shahidullah Hall also by the same margin in the boys’ competition.
In the girls’ group, Shamsun Nahar Hall defeated Bangladesh Kuwait Maitree Hall also by straight 2-0 sets at the same venue.
A total of 13 boys’ and five girls’ halls are taking part in the meet initially on round robin league basis.
1 month ago