More than 1.6 million young athletes have registered for the second edition of Notun Kuri Sports, setting a new record for the grassroots talent-hunting initiative, State Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque said on Wednesday.

A total of 1,623,000 athletes have registered online for the competition, including more than 900,000 boys and over 600,000 girls, the state minister said at an exchange of views with sports editors at the National Sports Council.

The second edition will feature 10 sporting events, up from eight in the inaugural edition. Volleyball and table tennis have been added to the existing disciplines, which include football, cricket, athletics, swimming, chess, badminton, kabaddi and martial arts.

The initiative aims to identify and develop young sporting talent at the grassroots level, with teams to be formed across 4,599 unions nationwide.

Around 1.4 million young athletes will be needed for the planned competitions, according to the state minister.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to inaugurate the second edition on November 5 from Khulna, with the launch to be broadcast simultaneously to 503 upazilas.

The inaugural edition attracted around 168,000 registrations across eight events.

Following the first competition, more than 300 promising athletes were selected for a 40-day training programme at the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan (BKSP).

The government plans to continue developing talented young athletes through specialised training and opportunities to pursue education alongside sports.

The second edition’s significantly higher registration figures reflect growing interest among young people, including girls, in competitive sports across Bangladesh.