Oman-Singapore opener in U-21 hockey
Sports Reporter
Bangladesh Hockey Federation (BHF) yesterday ruled out the possibility of increasing the number of teams in the Under-21 international hockey tournament starting in Dhaka on September 27.The BHF ruling shut the window for Sri Lanka's late interest to compete in the juvenile invitational tournament. "If Sri Lanka is included, we will have to stretch our budget because it will mean 24 matches instead of 18," a BHF official informed yesterday. He added that the total budget of the 9-day event is Tk 16,22,000. Oman and Singapore are expected to clash in the opener while hosts Bangladesh will face Afghanistan on the next day. Myanmar and Iran are the other teams in the meet that will certainly miss the presence of two sub-continental giants India and Pakistan. Matches will be played at BKSP, Savar and at the Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium. The final is slated for August 5.
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