The award is given annually to one best player from each of the leading sports of Nepal. In this edition, 21 athletes who excelled in their respective sports last year received the awards.[break]
The awarded players are Deepak Bista (taekwondo), Binod Shakya (karate), Rajendra Bhandari (athletics), Deepak Krishna Shrestha (judo), Deepak Maharjan (boxing), Santosh Sahukhala (football), Ang Babu Lama (wushu), Sadish Pradhan (basketball), Sipora Gurung (volleyball), Shaila Rana (swimming), Prem Prasad Pun (archery), Paras Khadka (cricket), Bikash Shrestha (badminton), Sangita Gautam (kabaddi), Satyendra Yadav (wrestling), Bipin Bista (handball), Hira Bahadur Thapa (squash), Muna Basukala (table tennis), Tika Ram Shrestha (shooting), Tara Pun (weightlifting) and Deependra Aire (hockey).
Majority of the winners had won medals in the 11th South Asian Games held in Dhaka earlier this year.
Chairman of the Constituent Assembly Subas Chandra Nembang gave away the awards to the winners. Ang Babu Lama, Deepak Maharjan and Sipora Gurung were not present at the awards ceremony. Lama left for China about a week ago for training ahead of the Asiad scheduled for November 12 to 27.
On the occasion, Nepal Olympic Committee General Secretary Jeevan Ram Shrestha said sports stands as a symbol of peace. “Sports has become a bridge between nations engulfed in conflict. But sports in Nepal itself has been entangled in controversy” he said.
Shrestha said sports authorities should keep the morale of the players high ahead of the Asiad by not indulging in disputes. “All of us must make sure not to demoralize the players, and that would be our best wishes to them,” he said.
National Sports Council (NSC) Member Secretary Hari Babu Chaudhari, wishing success to the players for the Asiad, urged everyone to put aside their discontentment and join hands for the prestige of the nation.
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