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   DHAKA, March 14, 2022 (BSS) - The 2nd Bangabandhu Cup International

Kabaddi tournament will begin from Saturday (March 19) at Shaheed Noor
Hossain National Volleyball Stadium in the city. A total of eight countries
will take part in the prestigious six-day tournament.

   The participating teams are England from Europe, Kenya from Africa, Iraq,
Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Nepal and host Bangladesh from Asia.
Bangladesh is the defending champion of the tournament.

   Eight countries, split into two groups, will compete in the league basis
match. Later the champions and runners-up teams from each group will play the
cross semifinals while the top two teams will play the final of the
tournament slated for March 24.

   The participating countries will start to arrive in Dhaka on March 16 and
17. In this regard a press conference was held today (Monday) at Bangladesh
Kabaddi Stadium to provide all the details of the tournament.

   Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Director General and Bangladesh Kabaddi
Federation president Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, Bangladesh Olympic
Association (BOA) Secretary General Syed Shahed Reza, BKF's general secretary
and DIG of Dhaka Range Habibur Rahman and BKF's joint secretary and
additional DIG Gazi Mozammel Haque were present on the occasion.

   BKF's president Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun said five teams took part in
the last edition of Bangabandhu Cup International Kabaddi. Now the numbers of
participating countries have increased to eight due to the popularity of the
tournament.

   He said they are seriously working to increase the popularity of Kabaddi
in Bangladesh worldwide. Meanwhile, ahead of the tournament, the national
team's residential camp has been going on full swing since October last in a
mission to retain the title.

   Bangladesh Kabaddi team's captain Tuhin Tarafdar said they would compete
in the tournament with a mission to retain the title intact.

   He said they are considering Kenya, Malaysia and Sri Lanka as their main
rivals of the tournament.