Dhaka, Bangladesh, May 22, 2023: Bangladesh will take part in 17 sports at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China from September 23 to October 8.
Men’s football will be among the contingent after the Bangladesh Olympic Association reversed an earlier decision to drop the men’s team and had only included the women’s football team which will be making its Asian Games debut.
The 17 sports are archery, athletics, bridge, boxing, chess, cricket, football, fencing, gymnastics, hockey, golf, kabaddi, karate, swimming, shooting, taekwondo and weightlifting.
Earlier this month, the BOA had excluded the men’s football team citing poor performances, and stated that only the women's team would be making the trip.
Subsequently, the Bangladesh Football Federation had informed the BOA that it is the Under-23 Olympic team, rather than the senior team, that participates in the Asian Games, resulting in the BOA including the men’s team in the 17 sports contingent.
It had also been highlighted that, at the last Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang in 2018, Bangladesh made history by qualifying for the knockout stage for the first time.
“We excluded the men’s football team due to concerns about the recent performance of the national team,” BOA secretary general Syed Shahed Reza told the Dhaka Tribune. “But we then requested 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 at the Asian Games.”
BFF vice president Kazi Nabil Ahmed said on Sunday, May 21: “We have been informed by the BOA that both the men’s and women’s team will be going to Hangzhou. We are thankful to the BOA for this.”
The Hangzhou Asian Games will feature 483 events in 40 sports.