International Hockey Federation president Leandro Negre inaugurated the Islami Bank Limited National School Hockey Tournament during a colourful opening ceremony at Maulana Bhasani Hockey Stadium on Saturday. A total of 102 schools from 64 districts will participate in the first phase scheduled to be held across 10 selected venues. 29 teams will qualify for the final round which will begin on February 24 in Dhaka. The Bangladesh Hockey Federation will select 65 players for higher training after the tournament concludes on March 7.
‘This school tournament will add to the pace of development of hockey in this country,’ said Negre, the chief of world hockey’s governing body, after launching the tournament.
‘We knew that there are huge possibilities in Bangladesh hockey and they have performed very well in the World Hockey League last year,’ he added.
The opening ceremony featured a theme song by local artist SI Tutul and also contained vibrant performances from the students of Birsreshtha Abdur Rauf Girls’ College.
An exhibition match between two of the participating teams was also held during the ceremony.
Earlier in the day, Negre visited the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishthan at Savar along with the managing director of the turf-providing company SIT, Stephen Niven.
State Minister for Youth and Sports, Biren Shikder MP, was present in the programme while BHF president Air Marshal Enamul Bari was also present among others.
-With New Age input
