Twenty20 cricket will be featured in next year’s South Asian Games in Dhaka, Bangladesh, a meeting of the South Asian Olympic Council decided on Monday.
The eleventh edition of the SA Games will be held from January 29 to February 8 with 23 events in 11 games, the 39th executive meeting of the council in Kathmandu agreed on.
“The meeting passed a number of decisions which will bring joy to our players and officials,” president of Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) Dhurba Bhadur Pradhan said. “The games popular in Nepal have been added to the list.”
Cricket is one of three games to be included for the first time in the history of the games along with golf and handball.
“India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal have already agreed to participate in cricket,” Kutubuddin Ahmed, secretary-general of the Bangladesh Olympic Association, told a news agency after a meeting.
A Twenty20 competition at under-21 level would feature in the games.