KATHMANDU, MARCH 24

Queens Event Management is organising the Baliyo Nepal Cup Inter-school Cricket Tournament in Lamahi, Dang next month.

A total of 12 district teams of Lumbini Province will take part in the tournament supported by Baliyo Nepal Nutrition Initiative. The organisers will conduct talent hunt programmes in all the 12 districts from March 25-28 and will form the district teams to compete in the tournament slated for April 3-10.

Atul Upadhyaya, CEO, Baliyo Nepal Nutrition Initiative said they would select the best player and provide him with one-year scholarship.

'The main objective of the tournament is to find the talented players and help them in becoming future champions,' he added.

Former national cricket team skipper and board member of Baliyo Nepal, Paras Khadka said the event was the first step towards the dream of winning World Cup in 2039. 'We have to see the dreams and move on the right track to achieve the goal. The event is our honest initiative to bring the change through investment in grassroots level,' said Khadka. 'We hope such kinds of programmes will make positive impact in the overall development of cricket,' he added.

National team skipper Gyanendra Malla thanked Baliyo Nepal for connecting cricket with the nutrition initiative.

'Cricket team has a lot of potential and we need to invest in grassroots level from today.

Baliyo Nepal has taken the initiative and I hope the programme will go to all over the country in the days to come,' he added.

Anil Keshari Shah, Baliyo Nepal President and CEO of Nabil Bank, said his institution wanted Nepali kids to grow in a proper manner with proper nutrition in early stages.

'We are taking the initiative of providing the kids with proper nutrition in golden window period so that they grow up and excel in whatever field they enter in future,' he said.

Chhumbi Lama, Managing Director, Queens Event Management said they have a plan to expand the programme in all seven provinces in future. 'This is just a beginning and we will take this initiative throughout the country,' said Lama, who is also the member of Cricket Association of Nepal. 'Apart from talent hunt and tournament, we will also distribute kits to all the districts and take care of their expenses,' he added.

​​​​A version of this article appears in the print on March 25, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.