Soft tennis was first introduced in Nepal in 1987 and Nepal started participating at the international level from the next year.[break]
Soft tennis has achieved a unique landmark in its 23-year-long history in Nepal. Soft tennis is the only game in which Nepal is listed among the top ten in the world rankings of team events. However, soft tennis has had to struggle to participate in the upcoming 16th Asian Games (Asiad).
The National Sports Council (NSC) had earlier excluded soft tennis from the list of participating games, but NSC permitted the soft tennis players to compete in the Asiad after Nepal Soft Tennis Association (NSTA) agreed to take them on their own expenses.
Despite all the controversy, the soft tennis players are in high spirits and eager to prove themselves. They have been undergoing a tough training session since July 30. They have been practicing for seven hours daily - four hours in the mornings and three hours in the evenings.
"Our target is to earn at least a bronze medal in the team event of soft tennis," said Ashok Singh.
Along with Singh, the Nepali soft tennis squad includes four other players--Sanjay Nepal, Manoj Subba, Dushyant Sharma and Sohan Dhaubadel. Nepal will compete in three categories in the Asiad- singles, doubles and team event.
Singh and Subba will compete in the singles category. Thapa will team up with Subba while Dhaubadel and Sanjay Nepal will make another pair in the doubles events. Meanwhile, all five will participate in the team event.
Meanwhile, the team also got an opportunity to take tips from Japanese coach Kazunori Adachi, who is currently the coach of the Japanese U-17 women´s team. Adachi instructed Nepali players for ten days from October 20-30.
"The instructions from Adachi have boosted our aim of winning medal," said Singh.
According to Singh, Japan, South Korea and Chinese Taipei could be Nepal´s strongest opponents. "The draw will be significant as well. If we are drawn with weak teams in the initial phase, it will increase our chances of making it to the finals," he said.
On the other side, the actions of sports authorities sometimes dishearten the soft tennis players. Player Sanjay Nepal not only expressed his displeasure toward sports authorities but also hinted at his retirement after the Asiad.
"National Sports Council, the government authority, is not treating soft tennis well," he said. "We are bearing all the expenses for participating in the game. On top of that, the team will not get Games Village facilities."
Bikash Pandey is mentoring the players currently, after the departure of Japanese coach Adachi, as Rajesh Bohara, the domestic coach, is likely to miss the Asiad because of personal reasons.
Pandey is the only Nepali player to win a medal at the international level. He had won bronze medal in the singles category in the World Championship held in Japan in 1993. It is the first and only medal for Nepali soft tennis at the international level.
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