The award established by Nepal Sports Journalist Forum (NSJF) with the aim of promoting Nepali sports is being held annually for the last six years. [break]
After facing hurdles in the first few years, the award began to run smoothly with the change of guard in NSJF in 2060 BS, and has been expanding ever since. The latest edition will also award Pulsar bikes to the winners of the male and female categories for the first time.
The private sector of Nepal joined hands with the organizers from 2062 BS. With the support of LG, the number of award categories increased from two to four. In 2064 BS, the Sports Award added the Popular Player Award, which is decided through SMS voting. The award is being sponsored by Hansraj Hulaschand and Company, the authorized dealer of Pulsar bikes for Nepal, for the last three years.
Here is a list of the past winners of the award:
Winners of 2054 BS
Player of the Year (Male): Dev Narayan Chaudhary (Football)
Player of the Year (Female): Sangina Baidya (Taekwondo)
Coach of the Year: Partha Sarathi Sen Gupta (Weightlifting)
Lifetime Achievement: Jit Bahadur KC (Athletics)
Winners of 2060 BS
Player of the Year (Male): Rajendra Bhandari (Athletics)
Player of the Year (Female): Sangina Baidya (Taekwondo)
Winners of 2061 BS
Player of the Year (Male): Rajendra Bhandari (Athletics)
Player of the Year (Female): Pooja Shrestha/Sumina Shrestha (Badminton)
Player of the Year (Youth): Pradeep Maharjan (Football)
Winners of 2062 BS
Player of the Year (Male): Binod Das (Cricket)
Player of the Year (Female): Nirmala Bharati (Athletics)
Player of the Year (Youth): Kanishka Chaugain (Cricket)
Coach of the Year: Roy Luke Dias (Cricket)
Lifetime Achievement: Gajaraj Joshi (Athletics)
Winners of 2063 BS
Player of the Year (Male): Deepak Bista (Taekwondo)
Player of the Year (Female): Manita Shahi (Taekwondo)
Player of the Year (Youth): Ayasha Shakya (Taekwondo)
Coach of the Year: Kwan H Jung (Taekwondo)
Lifetime Achievement: Suresh Singh Ale Magar (Boxing)
Special Award: Hari Bahadur Rokaya (Athletics)
Winners of 2064 BS
Player of the Year (Male): Deepak Bista (Taekwondo)
Player of the Year (Female): Nery Thapa (Cricket)
Player of the Year (Youth): Paras Khadka (Cricket)
Coach of the Year: Birat Krishna Shrestha (Football)
Popular Player of the Year: Jumanu Rai (Football)
Lifetime Achievement: Jay Kumar Nath Shah (Cricket)
Special Award: Sahara Club, Pokhara (Football and social work)
Winners of 2065 BS
Player of the Year (Male): Jumanu Rai (Football)
Player of the Year (Female): Karishma Karki (Swimming)
Player of the Year (Youth): Keshari Chaudhary (Cricket/Athletics)
Coach of the Year: Sushil Narsingh Rana (Athletics)
Popular Player of the Year: Manju Gurung (Volleyball)
Lifetime Achievement: Partha Sarathi Sen Gupta (Weightlifting)
Special Award: Mehboob Alam (Cricket)
Winners of 2066 BS
Player of the Year (Male): Paras Khadka (Cricket)
Player of the Year (Female): Ganga Adhikari (Karate)
Player of the Year (Youth): Binita Maharjan (Wushu)
Coach of the Year: Birat Krishna Shrestha (Football)
Popular Player of the Year: Santosh Sahukhala (Football)
Lifetime Achievement: Komal Pandey (Football/Cricket/Athletics)
Special Award: Deepak Bista (Taekwondo)
Para-athlete Award: Arjun Sapkota (Table Tennis)
Miracle Award: Rubina Chhetri (Cricket)
Bravery Award: Debu Thapa (Judo)
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