Asia

Bangladesh rolls out welcome for unusual sport on skates

Associated Press
Published | Updated

In this Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017 photo, Aija Apsipe, left, of Latvia dribbles the ball during the 4th Roll Ball World Cup quarterfinal match against India at Shaheed Sohrawardi Indoor Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Bangladesh hosted the championship for an unusual sport, roll ball, where players on roller skates dribble and pass a basketball-sized ball that they try to throw into a small soccer-type goal. About 750 players from 40 countries around the world took part. Top honors, both for men and women, went to India, where the sport was invented. (AP Photo/A.M. Ahad) (The Associated Press)

In this Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017 photo, Aija Apsipe, left, of Latvia follows the ball during the 4th Roll Ball World Cup quarterfinal match against India at Shaheed Sohrawardi Indoor Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Bangladesh hosted the championship for an unusual sport, roll ball, where players on roller skates dribble and pass a basketball-sized ball that they try to throw into a small soccer-type goal. About 750 players from 40 countries around the world took part. Top honors, both for men and women, went to India, where the sport was invented. (AP Photo/A.M. Ahad) (The Associated Press)

In this Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017 photo, Chandran Sharma of India skates to the ball during the 4th Roll Ball World Cup quarterfinal match against Zambia at Shaheed Sohrawardi Indoor Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Bangladesh hosted the championship for an unusual sport, roll ball, where players on roller skates dribble and pass a basketball-sized ball that they try to throw into a small soccer-type goal. About 750 players from 40 countries around the world took part. Top honors, both for men and women, went to India, where the sport was invented. (AP Photo/A.M. Ahad) (The Associated Press)

Bangladesh has just hosted the championship for an unusual sport called roll ball. Players on roller skates dribble and pass a basketball-sized ball that they try to throw into a small soccer-type goal.

About 750 players from 40 countries around the world took part. The sport was invented in India, and the country's men's and women's teams both won in Wednesday's finals.

Uganda had initially been expected to host the fourth Roll Ball World Cup, but the general secretary of the Bangladesh Roller Skating Federation said his country stepped in after the African nation declined it. He says hosting the tournament gave organizers a chance to make the game better known in Bangladesh.