Bangladesh confirm medal in table tennis

Bangladesh confirmed a medal in table tennis at the 6th Islamic Solidarity Games, currently taking place in Saudi Arabia, after the mixed doubles team sealed a straight-sets victory over the Maldives in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

The Bangladeshi pair won 3-0 (14-12, 11-5, 11-8), ensuring the country's second medal of the games after weightlifting.

The Bangladesh team featured Javed Ahmed and Khoy Khoy Marma, both top players from the national camp selection, while Aishath Rafa Nazim and Musa Munsef Ahmed represented the Maldives.

Bangladesh will face Bahrain in the semifinals at 2:30 pm tomorrow.

If Bangladesh beat Bahrain, they will face either Turkey or Azerbaijan -- winners of the other semifinal -- in the final.

Captain Maksud Ahmed Sonnet, general secretary of the Bangladesh Table Tennis Federation, congratulated announced a cash reward of BDT 25,000 each for the two players. If they win silver, the bonus will rise to BDT 100,000 and if they claim gold, the pair will receive BDT 200,000 in total, said a press release from the federation.