DHAKA: The 11th South Asian Games ended here on Tuesday with a promise to meet again in India in 2012.

Indian Olympic Association President Suresh Kalmadi was handed over the torch and the Games flag during the closing ceremony here at the Bangabandhu National Stadium. The South Asian Olympic Council meeting last week had chosen India as the hosts of the 12th edition of the regional games.

Bangladesh President Mohammad Zillur Rahman made a formal declaration of the closure of the 12-day Games on Tuesday.

Earlier, artists staged various performances depicting Bangladeshi culture

and heritage in the two-and-half hour spectacular ceremony.

The programme commenced with a traditional Bangladeshi programme laced with tribal dance. The ceremony also featured performances depicting the cultures and customs of the all the eight South Asian nations who took part in the Games.

The 11th SA Games finally ended with an aquatic laser show and spectacular fireworks.

On the field, as usual India completely dominated the Games winning a whopping 90 gold medals out of the total 158 in contention. They also claimed 55 silver and 29 bronze to top the medal tally with a total of 174 medals.

Pakistan stood second with 19 gold, 25 silver and 36 bronze medals while hosts Bangladesh ended up third with 18 gold, 23 silver and 56 bronze medals.

Likewise, Sri Lanka were fourth with 16 gold, 35 silver and 54 bronze medals whereas Nepal just edged Afghanistan to claim the fifth position with eight gold, nine silver and 20 bronze medals. The new sporting power, Afgha-nistan won seven gold, nine silver and 16 bronze medals. Bhutan and Maldives, who failed to win any gold medal, came seventh and eighth respectively.

Nepali medallists at 11th SAG

• GOLD (8): Binita Maharjan (wushu), Sunil Lama (karate), Binod Shakya (karate), Ganga Adhikari (karate), Aang Babu Lama (wushu), Deepak Bista (taekwondo), Ayesha Shakya (taekwondo), Rajendra

Bhandari (marathon).

• SILVER (9): Satendra Yadav (wrestling), Purushottam Rijal (wushu), Bikash Shrestha (wushu), Kumar Manandhar (taekwondo), Anu Adhikari (karare), Binod Maharjan (karate), Manita Shahi (taekwondo), Ajit Gurung (boxing), Women's Football Team.

• BRONZE (20): Deepak

Krishna Shrestha (Judo),

Rajan Joshi (judo), Debu

Thapa (Judo), Radha Devi

Rai (Judo), Alina Chaudhary (wushu), Jharna Gurung (wushu), Yan Kumari Chaulagain (taekwondo), Dana

Bahadur Airie (taekwondo), Laxman Saud (boxing), Kushal Shrestha (karate), Muna Basukala (Table

Tennis), Men's Team Table Tennis Team, Men's Karate Kata Team, Women's Table Tennis Doubles Team, Men's Archery Team, Men's Badminton Team, Women's Badminton Team, Men's Shooting Team, Men's Kabaddi Team, Women's Kabaddi Team.