The 4th Rollball World Cup will be held February 17-23 in the city with six hundred participants from 40 countries will compete in the biggest extravaganza.
Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal MP is expected to inaugurate the World Cup as the chief guest.
Thirty nine man’s and woman’s teams will compete in the six-day tournament. The curtain of the tournament will be dropped on February 23.
Sports loving Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to attend the closing day and announce the closing of the World Cup.
In this regards, a press conference was held on Wednesday at Sheikh Russel Roller Skating Complex to give all the details of the tournament.
National Sports Council Secretary Ashok Kumar Biswas, Bangladesh Roller Skating Foundation president Abul Kalam Azad, general secretary Asiful Hasan, federation’s concern officials were present on the occasion.
Bangladesh Roller Skating Foundation president Abul Kalam Azad said “As host team we’ll try to do well in the World Cup compared to our previous tournaments. The boys and girls have been in practicing in the last one and half month. They also played preparation matches and won against India and Nepal teams. We are fully ready for the tournament.”
Students from different education institutions are able to enjoy to popularize of the Rollball.
It was twelve years the game was incepted in the country but yet get expected popularity though the game is playing regularly like a place in Dinajpur, he added.
Azad said the World Cup matches will be held in three venues – Mirpur Outer Stadium, Handball Stadium and and Sheikh Russel Roller Skating Complex – in the city.
National Sports council chairman Ashok Kumar Biswas said all the preparation of the World Cup is over and ten countries already arrived in the city to take part in the World Cup. We have our own venues where the players will be accommodated.
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 Roll Ball Roll Federation organize the Roll Ball World Cup in each two years.
Denmark emerged champions in the 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.
