New Delhi: Twenty20 cricket, along with Dance sport, Dragon Boat, Roller sport and the ancient Chinese board game of Weiqi, will make their debut when Guangzhou hosts the 16th Asian Games in 2010.

An estimated 14,000 athletes and officials would converge in the Chinese city to take part in the sporting extravaganza that would host 42 events in 62 venues, Fang Daer, marketing director of the Guangzhou Asian Games organising committee, told reporters on Tuesday.

“We are grateful to India for their support. Cricket has a huge mass base there and we are happy to have accommodated cricket in our list of disciplines,” Daer said.

Daer also expressed the hope that India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh — the Test cricket playing nations of the continent would send their top teams for the event, even though he could not confirm the hosts’ participation.