Sports Desk:

The Bangladesh Under-21 hockey team left Dhaka on Tuesday morning for India to take part in the FIH Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup, set to begin on 28 November in Chennai and Madurai. This marks Bangladesh’s first-ever appearance in any hockey World Cup, making the occasion a historic milestone for the nation.

However, it has been learnt that three members of the squad — Dutch head coach Siegfried Aikman, team manager Lt Col (retd) Riazul Hasan, and player Mehedi Hasan — were unable to depart with the team for separate reasons. Aikman reportedly left for Netherlands to spend time with his family following the death of his mother while Riazul, who is also the federation’s general secretary, has not got his visa yet. Mehdi, meanwhile, has stayed back after being diagnosed with dengue fever.

The Junior World Cup, featuring 24 nations, will run from 28 November to 10 December. Bangladesh have been drawn in the challenging Group F alongside Australia, South Korea and France.

Before the tournament officially begins, Bangladesh will play two warm-up matches — one against Chile and another against Switzerland — in order to fine-tune their preparations.

Team captain Mehrab Hasan Samin expressed strong determination ahead of the historic campaign. “We will step onto the field for our country. This is Bangladesh’s first appearance in the Junior World Cup, and we want to achieve something that will inspire our future,” he said.