Bangladesh contingent in 19th Asian Games announced

Bangladesh contingent of 240-memberin 19th Asian Games announced

 A 240-member big contingent will represent Bangladesh in the 19th Asian Games' 2023 to be held in the Chinese city of Hangzhou from September 23 to October 8 next.

 Some 12,000 athletes from 45 Asian countries are expected to compete in 481 events of 61 disciplines of sports in the biggest sports carnival of Asia, the 2nd biggest sports extravaganza in the world after the Olympic Games.

The counntry's and the sub-continent's  first Grand Master Niaz Morshed and the captain of SAFF champions Bangladesh Women's Football team Sabina Khatun will carry the Bangladesh national flag in the opening ceremony on the Asian Games on Sept 23.

The 240-member Bangladesh contingent comprises 104 male athletes, 76 female athletes and 60 men's and women's team officials and coaches.

A 44-member men's and women's football teams, each of 22 members, will be the largest side of Bangladesh contingent,  followed by 30 member men's and women's cricket team, each of 15 members, will be the 2nd biggest side of  Bangladesh squad for the Asiad.

Bangladesh will compete in 17 disciplines of sports in the mega Asian Games.

Bangladesh's  participating sports are :  athletics, archery, boxing, cricket, chess, football,  kabaddi, hockey, shooting, swimming, weightlifting, gymnastics, karate, fencing, bridge, golf and taekwondo

The first batch of Bangaldesh contingent will fly for China on September 16 with men's football team, which play Myanmar on September 19, four day's ahead of  opening ceremony of the Asiad.

Bangladesh, which faced a medal drought in the last Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia in 2018, this time are very confifent to do a better result.

Addressing a pre-tour press conference at the association's auditorium on Sunday, BOA Secretary General Syed Shahed Reza said," We are expecting a good result from cricket, shooting and archery in the ensuing continental games"

"Moreover,  we have high hope on two Bangladesh-origin expatriate athletes - Zinnat Ferdous from the United States and Imranur Rahman from the United Kingdom" he added.

AK Sarkar, the treasurer of BOA and general secretary of the basketball federation, will lead the Bangladesh contingent as the Chef de Mission while  Brigadier General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddique, an executive member of BOA and chairman of the sports regulatory board of Bangladesh Army, will act as the deputy Chef de Mission.