Amidst great enthusiasm the 4th Rollball World Cup begins today (Friday) with six hundred participants from 40 countries have already reached the capital .
Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal MP is expected to inaugurate the World Cup as the chief guest.
Forty men’s and 26 women’s teams will compete in the six-day tournament. The curtain of the tournament will drop on February 23.
Sports loving Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to attend the closing day as the chief guest and will announce the closing of the World Cup.
The World Cup matches will be held in three venues – Mirpur Outer Stadium, Handball Stadium and in the newly built Sheikh Russell Roller Skating Complex in the city.
All the participants will be staying at in the renovated National Sports Council’s dormitories, said General Secretary of Bangladesh Roller Skating Federation Ahmed Asiful.
The tournament have eight groups and Bangladesh men’s team pitted in pool D along with Myanmar, Fiji and Hong Kong. The groups phase will be held in league basis.
Top two teams from each group will move to the knock out round. Eight winning pre quarterfinals teams will qualify for the quarter-finals. Two losers’ semifinals will play the place-deciding match.
This is the first time Bangladesh is going to host the Rollball World Cup. The International Rollball Federation organize the Rollball World Cup in each two years.
Denmark emerged champions in the first Rollball World Cup in 2011 while India lifted the titles in the second and third occasions.
Bangladesh men’s team will compete in the World Cup for the third times while the eve team in the second occasions.
Bangladesh for the first time is going to host the mega event after successful hosting of the first and third edition in Pune, India and the second in Nairobi in Kenya.
Bangladesh Roller Skating Federation is organisng the tournament under the auspicious guideline of chief patron Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Earlier, Bangladesh finished seventh position in the last World Cup held in Pune India.
