The Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) has hoped that the country would do better in the 22nd Commonwealth Games 2022 in the UK's Birmingham and the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games in Turkey's Konya.
Despite the exclusion of shooting, the discipline which brought all eight medals in the Commonwealth Games for Bangladesh, from the upcoming Birmingham edition, BOA Secretary General Syed Shahed Reza hoped that athletes would put up a better performance in the multi-sport event.
"Bangladesh is doing well in shooting and archery at the international level. But this time, shooting has been excluded from the Commonwealth Games. Also, the discipline has been included in the Islamic Solidarity Games as skeet events, in which Bangladesh is not very strong," Reza said at a pre-games press conference in Dhaka Sunday.
"However, I believe that the athletes will deliver their best in the international sports competitions and bring laurels for the nation."
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A 50-member team will represent Bangladesh in seven disciplines – athletics, boxing, gymnastics, swimming, weight-lifting, wrestling, and table tennis – at the Commonwealth Games, scheduled to be held from July 28 to August 8.
Weight-lifter Mabia Akther Simanta, who clinched gold medals in the last two South Asian Games, will carry the national flag during the march past of the 22nd edition multi-disciplinary sports event.
An 84-member Bangladesh team will participate in the Islamic Solidarity Games 2022, set to be held from August 9 to 18, in 11 disciplines – athletics, archery, fencing, gymnastics, handball, karate, shooting, swimming, table tennis, wrestling, and weight-lifting.
Fencer Fatema Mujib, who won a gold medal in the last South Asian Games, will carry the red and green flag in the 5th edition of the multinational, multi-sport event, to be held during August 9-18.
Bangladesh Archery Federation President Lieutenant General Mohammad Moinul Islam (retired); BOA Vice-President Sheikh Bashir Ahmed and Information, and Media Committee Member Secretary Sirajuddin Mohammad Alamgir were also present at the press conference.