With the inclusion of national players like Romman Sarkar and Ashraful Islam, the Bangladesh hockey team is aspiring to progress to the semifinals of the 2nd Summer Youth Olympic Games scheduled to be held in Nanjing, China from August 16-28.
BKSP coach and a renowned personality in the country’s hockey scene, Md. Kawsar Ali was not afraid of facing up to the challenge. “We are grouped with Australia, Canada, South Africa and Spain in Group A and it is a tough one. But we have been taking preparation for a long time and as it is the age-level, the difference is not huge. We want to play in the semifinals and it is our first target,” said Kawsar.
The format is five-a-side and the Bangladesh squad comprises nine players who are all BKSP students. The matches will take place in three parts consisting of 12 minutes each. There will be a two-minute break after each part.
The significant change in this format is that a player can score a goal from anywhere in the field, just like in football; there will be no restrictions of the traditional ‘D’ area.
The Bangladesh contingent will fly to China on August 15. The number of participants in the discipline of hockey is 10.
Bangladesh qualified for the YOG as the runners-up of the Junior Asia Cup. Among the players in the squad, Din Islam and Fazle Hossain have the experience of playing in premier division hockey.