"Our acceptance to participate in the regional event hosted by India gives a positive message that sports can serve as a means of bridging the gap between the two countries," said National Sports Council (NSC) Member Secretary Keshab Kumar Bista about the recent crisis in Nepal following the unofficial embargo imposed by India after the promulgation of the new constitution of Nepal in September last year.Speaking at a function organized by the Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) on its office premises Sunday to shed light on the Nepal's participation in the regional sporting extravaganza, Member Secretary Bista said that the Nepali team is ready to depart for the games that will be held in the two cities of Northeast India from February 5 to 16.
President Bidhya Devi Bhandari is scheduled to officially bid farewell to the Nepali team at the NSC, Tripureshwar on Monday.
According to NOC officials, Nepal is set to participate in all 23 sports disciplines during the 12th SAG which is being held after a gap of six years. The opening ceremony of will be held in Guwahati on February 5 and in Shillong on February 6. Sixteen games will be organized in Guhawati while the remaining nine events, including women's football, will be held in Shillong.
Minister for Youth and Sports Satya Narayan Mandal will lead the 522-member Nepali delegation, which includes 384 players and 138 officials. NSC Member Secretary Bista is the chef de mission of the Nepali delegation. Likewise, Purendra Bikram Lakhe and Dharma Kumar Shrestha have been appointed as deputy chef de missions.
"We hope that the games will help in narrowing down the differences that have surfaced between the two countries during the recent times," said Minister Mandal.
According to NOC President Jeevan Ram Shrestha, the core values of any sporting event are excellence, friendship and respect. "We are certain that this event will play an important role in strengthening the friendship between the two countries," said Shrestha.
Olympian Sneha Rajya Laxmi Rana (shooting, London Olympics, 2012) will be the flag bearer of Nepal during the march past in the opening ceremony.
"The flag bearer has been chosen according to seniority. It is not about age but the ranking of the game. Participation in the Olympics is also another deciding factor and we are happy to select a female flag bearer," added Shrestha.
"We have tried our best to keep the number of players high and reduce the number of officials as compared to the past," said Bista.
Bista told Republica that the government has provided Rs 100 million for participation in the games while the NSC has saved Rs 13.5 million from its coffers.
Nepal will be hosting the next edition of the regional sporting extravaganza, the 13th South Asian Games, in accordance to the alphabetical order mentioned in the statute of the South Asian Olympic Council.
The upcoming edition will be the third time Nepal will be hosting the South Asian Games since organizing the inaugural games in 1984 AD followed by the 8th SAG in 1999 AD.
Meanwhile, Minister Mandal announced cash award of Rs 100,000 to each member of the U-19 cricket team that advanced into the quarterfinals of the ICC U-19 World Cup beating Ireland and New Zealand in the group stage with one match to spare.
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