Qatar Foundation CEO Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani with Four Bangladeshi female athletes and the Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of the Earthna Summit in Doha. Photo: Chief Adviser GOB Facebook

DOHA (Qatar), April 24, 2025 (BSS) - Four Bangladeshi female athletes, who are accompanying Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus during his Qatar tour, have expressed their joy as Qatar Foundation pledged to enhance sports opportunities for Bangladeshi women players. 
 
On Tuesday, the Qatar Foundation pledged support to develop sports facilities for Bangladeshi women athletes in a move to strengthen their capacity and support their careers. 
 
Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, CEO of the Qatar Foundation, made the comments during a meeting with Prof Yunus on the sidelines of the Earthna Summit in Doha, CA press wing said.
 
Four Bangladeshi national players- footballers Afida Khandaker and Shaheda Akhter Ripa and cricketers Sumaiya Akhter and Sharmin Sultana - were present at the meeting, where they shared their personal journeys and the challenges they've faced in pursuing sports careers in Bangladesh.
 
Sheikha Hind, a former top Qatari athlete and sister of the Emir, was visibly moved by their stories and expressed admiration for their resilience. 
 
The players highlighted the lack of basic facilities such as dormitories, gyms, and training centres for women athletes in Bangladesh.
 
In response, Sheikha Hind said the Qatar Foundation will support the establishment of a dedicated foundation in Bangladesh to build and manage these facilities.
 
The Bangladeshi female players are very excited and optimistic about the promise of Sheikh Hind.
 
They said such an initiative will play a very positive role in development of female athletes and sports in Bangladesh and also expressed gratitude to the chief adviser for his role in this regard.
 
National Women's Football Team captain Afida Khandaker said: "When we first went to meet the head of government after being selected for the Qatar tour, the Chief Adviser Sir explained very well what we have to do during the Qatar tour". 
 
"Our aim was to showcase Bangladesh's sports to Qatar. We tried to do that," he said.
 
Afida said they informed CEO Hind of the facilities of the women players in Bangladesh, including accommodation and other facilities.
 
"We requested her to pay attention to all this. Hind was very attentive and she assured that she would try to do her best. I am hopeful that we will be able to take something good from here," she added.
 
Shaheda Akhter Ripa said the Chief Adviser thought about sports for the first time, while he thought about women athletes and is trying to work for them.
 
"When we were talking to Hind, she got very emotional. We talked about our gym facilities. She listened to us very carefully. She talked about what we can do in our post-sports life," Ripa said. 
 
She mentioned that they visited several sports facilities in Qatar, including the Spare Academy. 
 
Cricketer Sumaiya Akhter said football is more popular in Qatar and Qatari people are less interested in cricket.
 
She said they asked the Qatar Foundation CEO Hind to consider how to increase Qatar's involvement in cricket.

Mentioning that Hind herself was a sportsperson, Sumaiya said they invited Hind to Bangladesh to watch a cricket match. 
 
Hind also expressed great interest in visiting Bangladesh, she said.
 
Cricketer Sharmin Sultana said they apprised Hind of the facilities and difficulties they face in Bangladesh. 
 
"We sought medical support from her. There are injury rehabilitation facilities in Qatar. We talked about their support," she said.
 
The Qatar Foundation CEO said Bangladeshi players can take training in free time to become trainers and physiotherapists, Sultana said.
 
She said Hind assured that Qatar would extend its hand of cooperation to this end.
 
Earlier, during his visit, Prof Yunus also met Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of the Qatar Foundation and mother of the Emir. 
 
Their discussion covered various areas of cooperation between the two nations. 
 
Sheikha Moza expressed her interest in visiting Bangladesh in the near future.
 
In a historic first, the four national players are accompanying the Chief Adviser during his visit to Qatar at invitation of Qatar Foundation.