Around 240 athletes and officials from Bangladesh are preparing to travel to China to participate in the 19th Asian Games 2023, scheduled to be held from September 23 to October 8 in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province.
Bangladesh is set to compete in 17 sports disciplines at this continental extravaganza.
These include cricket, football, archery, athletics, boxing, kabaddi, hockey, shooting, swimming, weightlifting, gymnastics, karate, chess, fencing, bridge, golf and taekwondo.
Approximately 12,000 athletes from 45 Asian countries will vie for glory across 61 disciplines and 481 events.
Of the 180 athletes representing Bangladesh, 104 are male and 76 female.
Among the coaches and officials, there are 55 men and five women.
This marks China's third time hosting the Asian Games, with the previous edition taking place in 2010 in Guangzhou where the Bangladesh men’s cricket team secured gold medal, the women’s cricket side won silver and the women’s kabaddi team clinched bronze.
In 2014 in Incheon, Bangladesh women’s cricket side claimed silver, while the men’s cricket and women’s kabaddi teams bagged bronze.
However, Bangladesh faced a medal drought during the last edition in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia in 2018, marking the first time in three decades without any medals.
A press conference was held at the Bangladesh Olympic Association auditorium Sunday where details of the contingent and schedules for the upcoming Asiad were announced.
BOA secretary general Syed Shahed Reza addressed the media, discussing preparations and expectations for the Bangladesh teams.
He said: “The teams are undergoing rigorous training under the supervision of the BOA and federations. Notably, archery, shooting, fencing, gymnastics and kabaddi disciplines are benefiting from foreign coaches. Archers and shooters are sharpening their skills through international competitions.”
He added: “We have high hopes for cricket, shooting and archery in this Asian Games. Additionally, Bangladesh-origin expatriate athletes - Zinnat Ferdous from the United States and Imranur Rahman from the United Kingdom - have the potential to achieve impressive results.”
AK Sarkar, the treasurer of BOA and general secretary of the basketball federation, will lead the Bangladesh contingent as chef de mission.
Brigadier General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddique, an executive member of BOA and chairman of the sports regulatory board of Bangladesh Army, will serve as the deputy chef de mission.
During the opening ceremony march-past, Grandmaster Niaz Morshed and Sabina Khatun, captain of the Bangladesh women's football side, will proudly carry the Bangladesh flag.
The 2023 Asian Games mission for Bangladesh will kick off with the football event on September 19, four days before the official opening ceremony.
The cricket event will commence on September 22.
Athletes and officials will be accommodated in the main village named Hangzhou Athlete Village and five sub-villages.
The main village will host athletes from archery, athletics, boxing, bridge, chess, fencing, gymnastics, hockey, karate, shooting, swimming and weightlifting.
Male and female cricketers and male footballers will stay in Xiaoshan Residence, women footballers in Wenzhou Village and taekwondo players in Lin’an Residence.
The men’s football team will depart for China this Saturday, followed by the women’s cricket side two days later.
The women’s football team, making their debut at the Asiad, are scheduled to arrive in Hangzhou on September 19.
The number of athletes by disciplines
Archery (16): 8 male and 8 female
Athletics (1): 1 male
Boxing (3): 2 male and 1 female
Cricket (30): 15 male and 15 female
Football (44): 22 male and 22 female
Bridge (4): 4 male
Golf (2): 2 male
Hockey (18): 18 male
Kabaddi (24): 12 male and 12 female
Shooting (15): 8 male and 7 female
Swimming (2): 1 male and 1 female
Weightlifting (3): 1 male and 2 female
Gymnastics (2): 2 male
Karate (5): 2 male and 3 female
Chess (5): 4 male and 1 female
Fencing (3): 3 female
Taekwondo (3): 2 male and 1 female
