Bista’s achievement at the XIth edition of the Games – held every two years – that concluded Tuesday in Dhaka, Bangladesh, is a testimony of the veteran’s intense dedication and commitment to the game. What makes the win special for the 33-year-old as well as his supporters is that he achieved it while nursing a chronic injury to his leg. That’s undoubtedly no mean feat when one is competing at the highest level with the best players from seven other countries.
Bista’s win and the medals tally (out of eight gold medals, Nepal won seven gold medals in martial arts) have once again proved that martial arts is the prime discipline to fetch international medals for Nepal. Without, of course, ignoring the other disciplines, this is one area that Nepal would do well to concentrate on if it is to consistently shine in the international sports arena. Just for the record, Nepal’s best performance was in the VIIIth South Asian Games held in Kathmandu in 1999 when it emerged second just behind India, thanks to the 31 gold medals of which 28 was won in taekwondo and karate.
Meanwhile, besides Bista and other medalists, we would also like to congratulate all other Nepali players who gave a stellar performance at Dhaka. Considering that Nepali sportspersons have to rely mostly on raw talent, their achievements, however miniscule, deserve appreciation. Finally, we also congratulate hosts Bangladesh for successfully organizing the “South Asian version of Olympics” and look forward to the XIIth edition of the Games scheduled to be held in India.
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