SAG: Athletes to arrive in city soon

SHILLONG: Shillong will be a hive of activity in the coming days as teams begin arriving in the city for the start of the 12th South Asian Games 2016. Archers will be among the first to arrive, on February 2-3, for the start of their discipline, which begins with qualification rounds on February 5, the first day of the Games, at First Ground, Polo. The Indian women’s football team is already in Shillong, undergoing daily practice sessions in Polo Grounds and they will also be joined by teams from four other participating nations – Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives and Sri Lanka – soon. The first football match will take place at 10:00am onFebruary 5 between Nepal and Bangladesh at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. February 6 will then see the start of the badminton events, with the team competition running for three days, followed by the individual rounds. Badminton, which will be held at the SAI Indoor Stadium on the NEHU campus, is expected to garner plenty of attention, with top national shuttlers making their way to Shillong. Boxing follows badminton at the same venue, though a final timetable has not been released as yet. Table tennis team events will also begin on February 6 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Sports Hall, which will also host judo at the tail end of the Games. Taekwondo, meanwhile, will be held at NEIGRIHMS Indoor Stadium from February 13-15, while wushu will take place at the Assam Rifles Rising Sun Sports Complex from February 7, with wushuists arriving on February 4.