The City Group-Prothom Alo Sports Award ceremony took place once again this year, honoring those who illuminated the field with their performances in 2025. The evening turned into a grand reunion of the sports fraternity, filled with awards, laughter, conversations, and the presence of celebrities. The gala event was held today at the Oasis Hall of the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in the capital, where Ritu Porna Chakma, one of the country's finest women's footballers, shared her joy.
Ritu Porna's feelings
Ritu Porna had been named the Best Athlete and the Readers' Choice Best Athlete in the previous edition. This year, she finished as one of the two runners-up in the Best Athlete race. Yet her joy was no less. Holding the award, she said, "To me, every award is the best. Receiving such an honor is a matter of pride and joy. I truly love receiving awards." With a smile on her face, she added, "It's hard to express this feeling in words."Ritu Porna was also brilliant in her on-field performances last year. She scored 5 goals for Bangladesh in the Asian Cup qualifiers in June-July. She was in excellent form throughout the competition, scoring a brace in the 2-1 group-stage victory against Myanmar.
Nigar Sultana's father's pride
There was a glint of pride in the eyes of Sirajul Haque, father of Nigar Sultana, who was named the Best Female Athlete. He had just stepped down from the stage holding a crest. It was not his own, but the award won by his daughter. Expressing his feelings about receiving the award on behalf of his daughter, Sirajul said, "It feels like life is fulfilled."Last year, Bangladesh earned a spot in the World Cup by qualifying through the ICC World Cup qualifiers in Nepal. Nigar was the captain in the qualifiers and led from the front with the bat, scoring 241 runs in 5 matches, including one century and two fifties.
