An 18-member contingent from Bangladesh, including six athletes who will represent the country in various disciplines and 12 officials, will join the world's biggest sports carnival, the Olympic Games, to be held in Japanese capital Tokyo  from July 23 to August 8 next.

The 2020 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the 32nd Olympiad and branded as Tokyo 2020, the world's biggest international multi sports festival, finally looks set to proceed, after being held over from last year due to the pandemic -the first time in the Games' history that they have been postponed and rescheduled, rather than cancelled.

The Tokyo Olympics, originally scheduled for July 24 to August 9 in 2020, was postponed in March 2020 for the Covid-19 pandemic and later rescheduled for 2021. It will now be held largely behind closed doors with no spectators permitted under the state of emergency.

Also read: Genuinely excited to welcome Bangladesh Olympic team to Tokyo: Japanese envoy

Six Bangladeshi athletes will compete in four disciplines of sports --archery, swimming,athletics and Shooting --in their dream.

They are: two archers Ruman Shana and Diya Siddiqui, two swimmers Ariful Islam and Junaina Ahmed, lone track athlete Jahir Raihan and lone shooter Abdullahhel Baki.

Swimmer Ariful Islam will carry Bangladesh flag in the opening ceremony on July 23.

A three member first batch of Bangladesh contingent with team officials is due to leave here for Tokyo on Wednesday (July 14).

Also read: Tokyo Olympics to be held mostly without spectators due to pandemic

Secretary General of Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) Syed Shahed Reza disclosed details of Bangladesh Olympic mission in a press conference at a local hotel on Wednesday.

Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh ITO Naoki, BOA vice president cum chef de mission of Bangladesh team Sheikh Bashir Ahmed (Mamun) and Archery team leader Kazi Razibuddin Ahmed Chapal also spoke on the occasion.