The 11th SAG to see over 2000 athletes in action

Sampath BANDARA

The 11th South Asian Games will be held in Dhaka Bangladesh from January 29 to February 8, 2010.

Hemasiri Fernando, President of Sri Lanka National Olympic Committee noted that a large and strong Sri Lankan Contingent numbered over 300, will be participating this mega event under the Patronage of Minister of Sports and Public Recreation Gamini Lokuge this will be the largest in the history he added. For the first time Twenty - 20 Cricket will be included in the games. All of the eight countries will sent their under - 21 teams for the twenty - 20 cricket encounters.

Hockey, Volleyball and wrestling had been excluded from the SAG games this time.

Logo

The official Logo of South Asian Games 2010 is Magpie Robin, the National Bird of Bangladesh.

Third Occasion

This will be the third occasion the Bangladesh capital hosts the South Asian Games, also becoming the fourth city to host the Games multiple times, after Colombo, Kathmandu and Islamabad, this is expected to be the largest sporting event in Bangladesh history. The estimated budget of the 2010 South Asian Games is 2.3 million US Dollars.

History

The First South Asian Games were hosted by Kathmandu, Nepal in 1983.

Participating Nations

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka.

Official Sports

Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Boxing, Cricket, Cycling, Football, Golf, Hockey, Handball, Judo, Kabaddi, Karate, Shooting, Squash, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Volleyball, Weightlifting, Wushu.

Over 2000 Athletes

Over 2000 Athletes will be taking part in the 2010 South Asian Games. Bangabandu National Stadium will host opening ceremony, closing ceremony and Athletic events and will be the main venue of 11th South Asian Games, Dhaka.