Eclipsed by more popular sports like football and cricket, basketball has, until recently, struggled to capture the imagination of the population. This began to change when Sadina Shrestha captained the women's National Basketball team in the 17th Asian Games, held last year in Incheon, South Korea. It was the first time that the senior Nepali women's basketball team had featured in an internationally recognised tournament.
The national team of Nepal registered its first victory in the Korean city after Qatar pulled out of the game due to a hijab row.
"We were confident of beating them but they forfeited. Anyway, a victory is victory," Sadina told Republica in an exclusive interview.
Sadina, who won Miss Best Personality during the 2007 Miss Teen Nepal beauty pageant, insists she has no regrets in spending a decade in the game which at first, only had a few supporters.
"It's not about opportunities. It's about your interest," said Sadina.
"The most important thing is to enjoy what you do," added the 26-year-old, whose sporting talents have earned her a fulltime job as a sports teacher at St Xavier's School, Jawlakhel, where she has worked for the last 8 years. .
The footballer-turned-basketball-player believes that the future of women's basketball is improving, with more opportunities to represent Nepal in international tournaments. The quality of players has also been improving as the number of domestic teams and tournaments have also increased.
When the 26-year-old captain of the women's squad began learning basketball in high school, girls representing Nepal in international basketball tournaments was unheard of in the country. Since then, things have improved with the relentless effort of Nepal Basketball Association (NeBA), according to former vice president of NeBA Helga Rana.
Rana recalls the first time the Nepali women's basketball team participated in an international tournament in 2009, with a junior-level game during the 2009 Youth Olympics in Singapore.
Sadina noted that they were not certain of participating in the ASAID until the last moment.
"We used to train even if we were not sure of participation. Finally, NeBA succeeded in convincing the Nepali authorities to send a women's team to South Korea," Sadina told Republica.
Sadina was selected as Nepal's captain because of her endurance on the court and her dominating role during matches according to NeBA's Senior Vice President Narendra Thapa.
"She is a post player (one who plays close to the basket) and is good at making an impact with her shots and in securing rebounds. Normally, she hits close-range shots. There are better shooters than her in the national team but no one matches her commanding role in the team," added Thapa.
With a decorated national career at club- level that began in 2004, her first international breakthrough came in 2012 during the Asian Beach Games held in China. She also participated in the World Basketball Championship in Greece the same year. However, these were 3 on 3 games and she had to wait until the Asian Games in 2014 to represent Nepal in a full-court game.
"I don't remember the exact number of domestic tournaments I have played in as it is too many to remember. I have been playing for 10 years," said Sadina.
"We could have done much better if we had gotten more international exposure. Nevertheless, things are changing and there are more opportunities to play abroad now. The more exposure we get, the better for us," she added.
Unlike other athletes who complain about a lack of opportunities in Nepal, Sadina is glad to have chosen basketball and pursued a career in her native land.
"No complaints at all," she reiterated adding, "I am well-to-do all because of sports."
Sadina says it was the support and encouragement of her family members that helped a girl like her pursue her dream, even after getting married, three years ago.
Sadina is one of the six sisters of former national women's football captain Sarila Shrestha and is happily married to Accoustix band's singer Sobin Shrestha, who is very supportive of her career as a professional athlete.
"My husband understands my situation because he was also a footballer while he was young. My family is very liberal and place no restrictions on me," she added.
Acknowledging that there is only a few more years in her professional basketball career, Sadina is preparing for a career as a coach of the game. She has no intentions of looking for greener pastures abroad with her commitment to the game validated by her successful completion of the Basketball Solidarity Coaching Course Level 1.
"I am very happy with my career. I will play for one or two more years but I will never ever leave basketball or my country," she said.
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