All set for archery bonanza

The Bangladesh Archery Federation (BAF) is spending busy time to host Asia's biggest show of arrows and bows as the 20th edition of Asian Archery Championships gets underway from November 25 in Dhaka.

Some 35 nations including world beaters South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Japan, China and India are expected to take part in the six-day competition which will also be the second biggest sports show in Bangladesh in terms of participating teams after the Roll Ball World Cup where some 39 countries took part earlier this year.

This will be the fifth international tournament hosted by the BAF, after hosting one South Asian Archery Championship, two Asian Grand Prix events and one Islamic Solidarity Archery Championship after starting its journey in 2001.

The Maulana Bhasani Hockey Stadium, the lone practice venue for the event, will be opened for practice from tomorrow while the competition venue – the Bangabandhu National Stadium, will be handed over to the BAF after football matches of the Bangladesh Premier League on Friday night.

 “We are all but ready to host the Asian Archery Championships and we want to make it a success,” BAF general secretary and Asian Archery Federation's (AAF) executive member Razib Uddin Ahmed Chapal said yesterday.

Joint secretary Qumrul Islam Kiran informed that nearly 300 male and female archers from 35 countries would be vying for 10 gold medals in recurve bow and compound events and he hoped that a few Olympic medallists along with many Olympian archers would take part in the meet.

“We will be informed about the participants on Friday, but I hope that a few Olympic medallists from South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Japan, China and India will take part in the championships,” said Kiran.

Kiran also informed that a 12-member squad from Mongolia arrived here on November 18 while a 4-member Kuwait team reached the capital on November 20.  Both teams are having practice sessions in Tongi along with hosts Bangladesh, who have already selected its 18-memebr squad to complete in 10 events as well as the continental qualifying tournament for the upcoming Youth Olympic Games in Argentina. Asian archery officials are also coming here to attend the congress of Asian Archery Federation to be held on November 24.