June 29 (V7N) - The online registration portal for the second edition of "Notun Kuri Sports," a sweeping nationwide grassroots talent identification initiative, is set to go live on July 1. This program is specifically designed to hunt for promising young athletes and spark a renewed interest in athletic participation across Bangladesh. State Minister for Youth and Sports Md. Aminul Haque officially shared the project details during a media briefing hosted at the Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) conference room.

Aspiring young athletes will have a two-month window to submit their applications, with the registration phase wrapping up on August 31. The competition is open to both boys and girls aged 12 to 14, meaning applicants must have birth dates falling between September 1, 2012, and August 31, 2014. To ensure that gifted children living in isolated or rural regions do not miss out, organizers are launching an expansive promotional drive through local schools, athletic clubs, and district sports offices.

This second installment of the talent hunt features a much larger grassroots network than its predecessor. While the inaugural edition restricted the path to the district phase strictly to upazila-level teams, the updated tournament format allows sports teams from every individual union and city corporation ward to battle it out at the upazila level. This structural change opens up the competition to a vastly superior number of local competitors.

In tandem with the geographic expansion, the variety of sports disciplines has also grown. The tournament will retain the original lineup of football, cricket, kabaddi, athletics, swimming, chess, badminton, and martial arts, while introducing table tennis and volleyball to the roster. This brings the grand total to 10 distinct sporting disciplines, giving young competitors a much broader arena to display and hone their physical skills.

Simultaneously, the sports ministry has locked in the official itinerary for the national finals of the first "Notun Kuri Sports" 2025-2026 session. The grand finale tournament is scheduled to kick off on July 18 with a formal opening ceremony at the National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka. Running through July 27, the multi-sport event will bring together the absolute best young sports prospects who successfully fought their way through 10 grueling regional qualifying rounds.

The high-stakes youth tournament will officially conclude on the afternoon of July 27 with a closing ceremony and medal distribution at the Bangladesh Army Stadium in Dhaka. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has officially consented to grace the final event as the chief guest. His presence will highlight the government's top-level backing for grassroots athletic development and youth empowerment.

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