Bangladeshi athletes are all set to participate in the upcoming Asian Indoor and Martial Art Games and the Asian Youth Games scheduled to be held at Incheon, Korea and Nanjing, China in July and August respectively. The Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) has endorsed the decision to participate in the events and has also arranged the budget for training and travel. With the assurance of the government and availability of funds, BOA wants to kick start the training as early as possible. A 27 strong contingent will head to the Asian Youth Games and a group of 17 will participate in the indoor games. The 4th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) will be held over eight days in Incheon, Korea, from June 29 to July 6 and will feature nine sports. This 4th AIMAG will be a high-profile warm-up event for the 17th Asian Games in Incheon the following year. Held every four years, the Asian Youth Games will take place in Nanjing, China, in August. The inaugural edition was held in 2009 in Singapore, in preparation for the Youth Olympic Games, and attracted 1,321 athletes who participated in 11 disciplines across 90 events. Featuring the best and brightest of 45 Asian nations, the 2nd Asian Youth Games event has been expanded to 118 events. In the Asian Indoor Games, Bangladesh will participate in Kabaddi, Chess and Billiards while the disciplines of the Asian Youth Games will be athletics, swimming, weightlifting and golf. In the first ever Asian Youth Games of 2009, Bangladesh was represented by a 15-member contingent, who took part in four disciplines - athletics, swimming, shooting and basketball. Wing Commander (rtd) Rafiqul Islam, the chairman of the BOA’s training committee, looked forward to calling the athletes of the respective disciplines within a few days. “We are waiting for the government’s nod, all the preparations are complete and we will be trying our best to motivate the athletes to do their best. We have every belief that good training can propel the athlete to new heights,” Rafiqul said.