Bangladesh International Kabaddi tournament is to get under way from Monday with host Bangladesh team are eyeing to lift the trophy for hat-trick times.
The third edition of the tournament will be held at the Kabaddi Stadium with 12 teams from Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia including hosts are taking part.
Apart from Bangladesh the other teams are England Poland, Argentina, Kenya, Iraq, Indonesia, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, Sri Lanka and Nepal are the participants in the nine-day meet.
The reigning champions of Bangladesh also won the trophy of the inaugural and the second edition of the tourney defeating Kenya in both occasions in 2021 and 2022 when this time the hosts’ target is to win the trophy to be the hat-trick champions.
However, in the pre-tournament press meet and in the Trohoy unveiling ceremony on Sunday, Habiubur Rahman, Additional IGP and the general secretary of the Bangladesh Kabaddi Federation (BKF) disclosed all about their preparations of organising the tournament successfully.
Habibur Rahman in his address expressed his disappoint not having an international standard court - “It’s all set to organise the the tournament with the participantion of 12 teams when in the first and second edition there were only 6 teams each from home and abroad. But it is very much unfortunate that we can’t organise the tournament at our own court as we have no international standard court and enough space.”
“We have already put up our appeal to the Sports Ministry to provide us enough space and international standard court,” Habubur Rahman said.
Habibur Rahman replying to query said, they have enough preparation to keep going to lift the trophy for third time in a row.
“We have appointed the best Kabaddi coach of Bangladesh and coach from India too for long time training program and I think they are well prepared to retain the title,” Habib said.
Habib also said that they have target to win medal in the next Asian Games as theteamahs been under long term training camp under experienced coaches of home and abroad.