Dhaka, January 29: Flags of all the eight participating nations were hoisted at historical Pantha Kunja monument near the SAARC Square to mark ceremonial beginning of the 11th South Asian Games here today.
The flags were hoisted in Bengali alphabetic order with the Indian tri-colour coming fourth after Afghanistan, Nepal and Pakistan.
The Indian flag, which was hoisted by the chef-de-mission Paresh Nath Mukherjee, was followed by Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka and hosts Bangladesh, respectively.
As per the protocol, the chef-de-missions of each country hoisted their respective flags.
National badminton champion Chetan Anand will be the Indian flag bearer in the opening ceremony this evening, which will be attended by around 90 members of the country’s 331-strong contingent on board, Mukherjee said.
“As of now 11 teams have already arrived and five more are expected today.
–Agencies