The Bangladesh Olympic Association has reversed its previous decision and announced that the men's football team will be participating in the upcoming Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Hangzhou, China later this year.
During its previous meeting on May 6, the BOA had excluded the men's football team from the contingent, citing their poor performance in recent times.
Subsequently, the Bangladesh Football Federation informed the BOA that it is the Under-23 Olympic team, rather than the senior team, that participates in the Asiad.
The BFF also highlighted that Bangladesh made history by qualifying for the knockout stage for the first time during the last edition of the games in Jakarta, Indonesia.
In response, the BOA sought the opinion of all the members who attended the meeting regarding whether to include the men's football team.
The majority of members expressed the view that the team should be included.
"The men's team were initially included during the first meeting but later excluded during the second meeting due to concerns about the recent performance of the national team," explained BOA secretary general Syed Shahed Reza to Dhaka Tribune.
He further stated, "We were unable to convene another meeting before the Saturday deadline for submitting the list. Therefore, we requested the members to provide their opinions through a secret ballot. As a result, it has now been decided that the men's football team will participate in the Asiad."
Kazi Nabil Ahmed, the BFF vice president and chairman of the national football team committee, expressed gratitude to the BOA for its decision.
"We have been informed by the BOA that both the men's and women's teams will be going to Hangzhou, China. We are thankful to the BOA for this," said Nabil, who is also a vice president of the BOA, while addressing reporters after a national team committee meeting at the BFF House Sunday.