It has been a day of double delight for Bangladesh women’s football star Rituparna Chakma. On Saturday afternoon, she collected the 2024 Sportsperson of the Year award at the City Group–Prothom Alo Sports Awards. Just hours later, she received another piece of life-changing news: the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will build her a new home.
The decision was confirmed following a BCB board meeting in Dhaka. Media committee chairman Iftekhar Rahman announced that the board had approved the plan, while BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul also confirmed it from Australia.
Rituparna’s current home, in the remote hill district of Rangamati, is in poor condition. The family live in a small house with a tin roof and bamboo walls. She lost her father when she was young, and three years ago her only brother passed away. Her three elder sisters are married, leaving Rituparna to support her household, which she shares with her mother, whose medical needs add further financial strain.
BCB has previously extended support to athletes from other sports, but this latest initiative is particularly significant given Rituparna’s recent contributions to Bangladeshi football. It was her goal that sealed the SAFF Championship title for Bangladesh in 2024, and only last month her brace against Myanmar secured the national team’s first-ever qualification for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.
Rituparna is currently playing in the Bhutan Women’s League along with 12 other members of the national side. She and team-mate Tohura Khatun made a brief trip to Dhaka to attend the awards ceremony, where they collected three trophies between them.
Beating cricketers Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taskin Ahmed, Rituparna took home the overall Sportsperson of the Year title, while Tohura was named Women’s Sportsperson of the Year. The pair are due to return to Bhutan the day after tomorrow.