In addition, the players have complained that they are not even provided basic facilities such as medicine and proper accommodation during the top level games.[break]
NeBA President Lama Tendi Sherpa admitted that the schedules were tight as the national championships are being organized keeping publicity of colleges in mind. “We had no choice as the colleges and schools are the main sponsors and they wanted us to organize tournaments during the time of admissions,” Sherpa said.
After two recent national championships held in a span of less than a month, the teams from outside the valley were forced to pull out their names from the ongoing national tournament citing lack of preparation time.
Only one team from the Far-west in the men´s category and a women´s team from Kaski are participating in the current Morgan Cup 12th Men´s and 11th Women´s National Basketball Championship. In the past year, two teams from Sunsari and Kavre participated in the national tournament.
Netra Bahadur Sen, manager and coach of Kaski, said that they did not bring the men´s team in the tournament due to back-to-back tournaments without any gap. “We used to bring both the teams earlier but the organizers did not give us enough time for the tournament,” Sen said. Kaski´s men´s team had reached the semifinal of the Second Premier Cup Men´s 3X3 National Basketball tournament held from June 11 to 13.
Coach Sen further added that the organizers must keep a gap of at least a month between the national games so that the players get adequate time to rest and prepare well.
Unmanaged National Championships
The current national championship has failed to address players´ concerns on numerous fronts. The games do not start on time as the referees arrive late. The tie-sheets for the tournaments are not managed properly as schedules change frequently. For instance, the matches scheduled to be played on Saturday was conducted on Thursday.
The teams from outside the valley were denied proper gaps after a match while the teams from Kathmandu were given a day´s rest after every match. Coach Sen said that the performance of his players fell after back-to-back games for three days. “The organizers wished to minimize the cost without caring about the players,” Sen said.
Poor accommodation for the players
The players have been kept at players´ hostel of the National Sports Council, which does not meet the minimum requirements of players´ accommodation. The hostel lacks proper toilets and the bathrooms are in poor condition. The players, who have not been provided with towels, have also complained of unhygienic water.
According Manju Gurung, a national volleyball player who also represents Kaski district, said that the organizers have shown disrespect to the players. “We have to use mineral water to bathe as the water that comes from the tap at the hostel is sooty. We may have to reconsider about participating, if the trend continues,” Gurung said.
NeBA has also failed to hire doctors for the national championships, forcing the injured players to remain on the bench without treatment. It is essential to provide first aid facilities and at least a doctor in any tournament, but NeBA has not even arranged a medical kit.
Ashim Shrestha, a player of Morgan College, who suffered ankle injury on Thursday could not get proper medical treatment. There were numerous other similar incidents. “We have asked the medical team of NSC to be present at the court but they did not arrive,” Sherpa, the NeBA president, said.
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