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Ansars top fifth Bangladesh Games standings

The curtain comes down

Sports Reporter
lighted background of a late December afternoon, the perched flame at the northern end of Dhaka Stadium made a futile attempt to emulate the ■ptrtt of Its mythical precursor on earth before finally vanishing at exactly 4.37pm to mark the end of the fifth Bangladesh
The eight-day long quadrennial sports extravaganza featuring more than three thousand participants — a record tn the annals of deiht Olympics — and 21 disciplines had the curtain fallen over it when president of the Bangladesh Olympic Association Gias .Kamal Chowdhury announced the end of the meet, following the speech of Shdkh Razzak All, Speaker of Parliament who graced the function as chief guest
It all began with 32 members of the BNCC. robed in white, parading with the Olympic flag. Girls clad In flame coloured sarees represented the different teams that took part In this meet, deemed by many as the dress rehearsal for the forth coming sixth South Asian Federation (SAF) Games, scheduled to be held tn Dhaka next December.
Bangladesh Ansars who emerged as the major sporting force tn the country (If, of course, the Games is any yardstick of measuring abiil-
ties) with the highest haul of 135 medals, including 50 golds. entered the fray tn bot tie green track suits. The frolic and fun of the winner's was limited to hoo-hah of the marchers as very few people felt hired by the free entrance and the promise of a grand closing of the biggest sporting event off the country.
The semblance of order shown at the beginning of the ceremony diluted Into an unwieldy freedom, often seen In the movement of a herd when the country's leading singer. Sabina Yasmin rode on a tawdry automobile, bedecked with five white water lilies — designer Mustafa Monowar's naturo-numcrfcal symbol of the fifth version of the Games—to play-sing the chorus; 'Khelar mela sheshe. elo btdayer din'
(With the play over, ft Is time to go), another number for big occasions by Dr Montruzzaman with noted musician Samar Das setting tune to It. With the reverberating rumble of the cannon fire serving as a prelude the recorded song aired through the giant speakers ensured auditory exercise for quite some time.
Soon after ft, Monlra Rahman Dalia of BTMC and Mukhlesur Rahman of Bangladesh Navy were declared the best sportsman and woman of the meet.
Dalia, the young mermaid, claimed six golds in this meet while Mukhlesur Rahman, also a swimmer, set a record tlm: Ing that unofficially eclipsed the best mark In the )00m breast-stroke in South Asia,
The first part of the programme ended with the handing of the Olympic flag to Mirza Abbas, the Mayor of Dhaka City Corporation. It was followed by a session of folk Songs and, later, pop songs by Azam Khan. Ironically for the organisers, young people who studiously avoided the various sports activities of the extravaganza Including the opening and closing ceremonies, poured In to watch the pop star. With the Games confirming another lease for the old order in sports, it looks like any such sprawling event may prove a mere wastage of money. I