Asif to light torch

Commonwealth Games gold medallist, shooter Asif Hossain Khan will light the torch in the opening ceremony of the final phase of the Bangladesh Youth Games, to be held at the Bangabandhu National Stadium (BNS), as decided during the eighth meeting of the games' steering committee at the BNS conference centre yesterday.

The torch was handed over to Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) president and chief of army staff General Abu Belal Mohammad Shafiul Huq ahead of the meeting. The torch will go through all eight divisions before returning to Dhaka for the opening ceremony.

The meeting, presided over by the BOA president, disclosed that the final phase of the games will feature 2,660 athletes from around the country, who have qualified through upazila, district and divisional stages over two phases.

The galleries for the opening ceremony will open at 4:00pm while chief guest Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will arrive at 6:30pm.

There will be a laser show, among other things, at the opening ceremony, for which the venue is being decorated by the National Sports Council.