A 240-member contingent will represent Bangladeshin the 17 disciplines in the 19th Asian games scheduled to be held inHangzhou, China from September 23 to October 8.
Bangladesh contingent included 104 of men's athletes, 76 of women's athletes,55 men's trainers and officials and five women's trainers and officials.
The disciplines are archery ( men's and women's), athletics (men's andwomen's), boxing ( men's and women's), cricket( men's and women's), football( man's and women's), bridge (men's), Gold ( men's and women's), hockey(men's), kabaddi ( men's and women's), shooting( men's and women's),
swimming( men's and women's), weightlifting (men's), gymnastics (men's)karate (men's and women's), chess, fencing and taekwondo.
Grand Master Niaz Morshed and Bangladesh women's football team's CaptainSabina Khatun will carry the Bangladesh flag during the opening ceremonymarch-past of the Games.
The Bangladesh's mission in the Asian Games will begin with football event onSeptember 19, four days before the formal opening ceremony while the cricketevent will commence from September 22. The men's football team and women'scricket team will leave for China on September 16 and 18 respectively. Theathletes of other disciplines will leave for China in phases.
BOA's Treasurer and Bangladesh Basketball Federation General Secretary AKSarkar and BOA Member Brigadier General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddique, alsothe chairman of sports regulatory board of Bangladesh Army, will lead theBangladesh contingent in the games as Chef-de-Mission and deputy Chef-de-Mission respectively.
Nearly 12,000 athletes from 45 countries of Asia will gather to participatein the mega event. The athletes will compete in 481 events of 61 disciplinesin the Games.
Bangladesh Olympic Association's (BOA) Secretary General Syed Shahed Rezaexpressed his high optimism for the positive result in the Games.
"We're going to participate in the Asian Games with the best possible teamsever than before. Archery and shooting disciplines have been under thetraining round the year and the athletes of the two disciplines took partdifferent international events... We also hope good result from cricket.So, we can expect positive result from these disciplines," said the BOASecretary at a press conference held today (Sunday) at BOA auditorium.
Shahed said there is also scope for getting good result in boxing andathletics events because two expatriate athletes -- female boxer ZeenatFerdous and England-based Bangladeshi sprinter Imranur Rahman – willrepresent the country in the largest sporting event in Asian.
"We're expecting good results compared to the previous occasion in the AsianGames. We are quite positive for the results and hope the athletes wouldbring good result for the country from the Asian Games, he added.
Games Chef-de-Mission and deputy Chef-de-Mission and BOA's member Siraj Uddin
Md. Alamgir were also present in the press conference.
