Nepali team had been training for more than a month for the qualifiers. [break]
According to NeBA President Lama Tendi Sherpa, Nepal was forced to pull out after the sports governing body of the country, the National Sports Council (NSC), failed to provide funds for the team´s participation in Delhi. “We had demanded budget from NSC but they turned a deaf ear to our demands,” said Sherpa, adding, “NSC has been providing funds for unofficial games but do not want to support an official tournament.”
NSC Member Secretary Yuvraj Lama also accepted that NeBA had sought funds for participation but NSC could not provide the budget. “We had assured them of financial support after the new fiscal begins."
Meanwhile, NeBA president Sherpa said NeBA was not in the position to take loan for participation. "NSC had assured of financial support for the team´s participation in the Third Asian Beach Games in China as well. But we participated on our own expenses."
In the last year´s edition of qualifiers, Nepal had finished third. Nepal had defeated Bhutan and Bangladesh in the league round and was defeated by Sri Lanka in the semifinal. Similarly, Nepal had once again defeated Bangladesh in the third place playoff.
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