Bangladesh’s men’s hockey team underwent a fitness test on Thursday in preparation for the Asian Games qualifiers, scheduled to take place in Oman from March 25 to April 5. The main tournament will be held in Nagoya, Japan, on September 19.
Hockey is a physically demanding sport, and modern international teams increasingly use the Yo-Yo test to measure stamina, recovery, and change-of-pace performance. However, Bangladesh opted for the traditional Cooper test, a continuous run method widely used in the 1980s and 1990s.
The fitness evaluation was conducted by the coaching staff, following protocols set by the national federation. While cricket fitness tests often yield immediate results, no official pass or fail outcomes were announced for the hockey team. Head coach Md. Ashikuzzaman said, “After the Youth Hockey World Cup, players had nearly two months without matches. They gave their best in the test, but the true picture of fitness will become clearer in eight to ten days.”
A total of 36 players were initially called for the preliminary squad, with all joining the test except goalkeeper Abu Saeed Nippon. Due to financial constraints, the team will play preparation matches locally against domestic sides before departing Dhaka for Oman on March 22.
