Sportsperson of the Year

The stars of Bangladesh sport, ODI skipper Tamim Iqbal among them, came forward to help 91 struggling athletes from different disciplines as well as different coaches by providing monetary help, paid through money transferring mobile apps and portals.

Star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan also formed a charitable foundation to help people in need during the pandemic. Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad and Rubel Hossain also extended their support during this period.

But among all the stars, two names stand out as The Daily Star this time honours two sportspersons of the year in cricketer Nazmul Islam Apu and former women's cricketer Arifa Jahan Bithy for their relentless support to suffering people during the pandemic.

He may be famous for the 'Nagin dance', his trademark celebration after scalping wickets on the international circuit, but left-arm spinner Nazmul showed another side to his character during testing times. He not only showed his humanitarian side but also displayed the signs of a true fighter after himself testing positive for Covid-19 alongside his parents. 

“I know the pain of hunger. I have experienced it once upon a time in my life and that prompted me to contribute towards society within my limitations. I tried to manage funds and also contributed from my own savings. I feel delighted to make people happy and I will continue to help in future as well.” Arifa Jahan Bithy

The cricketer has worked tirelessly with his friends to collect funds, purchase goods, and package and deliver goods from a community centre to his hometown in an industrial area in Narayanganj.

Nazmul even began to stay away from his family in a separate home for about 20 days so that they would not be infected as he continued helping people during that time.

Arifa, currently working as a coach in domestic cricket, also stands out for her outstanding contributions during the pandemic.

Although Arifa never played for the national side her humanitarian performance surely makes her a national star.

From providing cooked food to people in need on the roads, helping out pregnant women, distributing free sanitary napkins to girls, reaching out to people in flood-affected areas to provide food, to even donating sewing machines to widows and divorced women, Arifa made sure she stretched her hand out to people around her in any way possible.