Sri Lankan will pin its hopes on athletics in the Doha Asian Games that opens Friday as the island country has enjoyed a continues success at regional games, a local news paper said Friday.

The Island said Sri Lanka's 141-athlete team will see action in 24 of 39 sports which offer 432 gold medals.

The newspaper quoted Dian Gomas, the chef-de-mission of the SriLanka contingent, as saying that the island country also has chances of winning medals in sports like chess, golf and cue sports in addition to athletics.

High jumper Manjula Kumara Wijesekera will lead the Sri Lankan contingent as the flag bearer at the opening ceremony due to the absence of Susanthika Jayasinghe.

Jayasinge is scheduled to join the team on Dec. 4, four days prior to the start of track and field events.

Sri Lanka won two gold medals, one silver and three bronze at the previous edition of Asian Games held in 2002 in Busan, South Korea.