DHAKA, June 25, 2024 (BSS) - The 1st International Open Veteran Athletics Championship will begin on Thursday at Bangabandhu National Stadium (BNS) in the city.

Bangladesh Athletics Federation (BAF) vice president and Bangladesh master athlete association president Nur Uddin Chowdhury Noyon, MP will inaugurate the three-day meet as the chief guest.

Md. Kamruzzaman, commissioner, Customs Excise and VAT Commissionerate, Jessore, BAF vice president and Dhaka Metropolitan Police's joint commissioner, Mohammad Zayedul Alam and BAF general secretary Advocate Abdur Rakib (Montu) will present there as the special guests.

BAF executive member Faruqul Islam will preside over the opening ceremony.

Athletes from six countries including host Bangladesh will participate in this large and colorful veteran athletes' event which is going to be held for the first time in Bangladesh.

Among them, 232 athletes from thirty three organizations/institutions of Bangladesh and eighty five athletes from other five SAF countries -- sixty athletes from India, fifteen athletes from Sri Lanka, seven athletes from Nepal, two athletes from Maldives and one athlete from Pakistan -- will take part in the meet, which will be held by the entire cooperation of BAF.

The competition will be held in fifteen age groups in two categories with the participation of athlete age of 35 to 70 years.

A total of 120 technical officials will be present to conduct this competition.

In this regards, a press conference was held at conference room of BNS to provide all the details of the meet.

BAF general secretary Abdur Rakib (Montu), its executive member Farhad Jasmine Litty, Ajmal Hossain Azam and member secretary of Veteran Athletics Competition Md. Wohab Khan were, among others, present in the press conference.