Thirty-nine Bhutanese athletes will be competing in the 19th Asian Games, in Hangzhou, China later this year. In a press conference today, the athletes shared how preparations are going on and their aspirations for the Games. The Asian Olympic Council’s director of media and broadcast was also part of the press conference.
The 19th Asian Games will be held from September 28 to October 8. Bhutanese athletes will be competing in eight different disciplines – karate, archery, boxing, judo, swimming, athletics, and shooting.
Lenchu, a 29-year-old police officer will be competing in the Air Rifle Shooting category. She previously participated in the Tokyo Olympics, The 14th South Asian Games and the Rio Olympics in Brazil.
“It is my second time participating in the Asian Games. We couldn’t do well in the previous games, but now our points are good. So, I expect to reach the top eight, which is the final round.”
Tandin is another athlete who took part in the Asian Games before. He also won two silver medals during the South Asian Games.
“Unlike in the past, we selected our team beforehand. A tournament was also held and the champions were selected. So, the preparation went well.”
The participants are training five hours a day for the upcoming games and aspire to bring home medals this time.
Tshering Deki
Edited by Sherub Dorji