Taking charge of the ministry on Wednesday, Minister Shrestha said he would work toward ending the dispute. "I´ve heard about the controversies. We cannot develop sports if we continue to engage in such disputes," Shrestha told reporters. [break]"There are solutions to every problem and we can solve the dispute," he added.
Two different NOCs -- one led by Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan and the other led by Rukma SJB Rana -- have been claiming legitimacy. While the Supreme Court´s verdict of November 4, 2010 legitimized the Rana-led committee, IOC has recognized the committee led by Pradhan.
"We´ll find the root cause of the dispute and seek a non-political solution," said Minister Shrestha.
Shrestha also claimed that he is aware of the problems facing athletes. "Athletes are facing individual and institutional problems and I urge the concerned authorities to come up with concrete programs to solve such problems," said Shrestha.
Shrestha said that the sports sector needs more budget to catch up with the developed nations. "Athletes should get the best training facilities and we need to provide more budget to the sports sector. I´ll work in this direction," said Minister Shrestha.
National Sports Council (NSC) Vice-president Pitambar Timalsina complained that some national sports associations are not following the directives of NSC to shun the programs of NOC led by Pradhan.
Meanwhile, Hari Prasad Nepal, secretary at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, said that the NOC dispute has hindered the development of sports in the country. Nepal also informed that the ministry is looking for land to build a stadium of international standard.
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