KATHMANDU, JUNE 23

Nepal Olympic Committee felicitated athletes, sports journalists and officials on the occasion of International Olympic Day here today.

Junior world No 1 badminton player Prince Dahal and swimming sensation Gaurika Singh won NOC Awards, along with coaches Deepak Thapa Magar (golf) and Sangina Baidya (taekwondo). Nepal Taekwondo Association was declared the best sports association.

Likewise, Sabina Karki (Visual Media), Raju Ghising (Print Media), Rajendra Chitrakar (Photo) and Niranjan Rajbanshi (Multimedia) were awarded in the inaugural edition of the Awards.

All nine winners received Rs 50,000 each along with awards and appreciation letters. The winners were selected by a nine-member judges panel led by former President of Cricket Association of Nepal Binay Raj Pandey.

Former Member Secretary of National Sports Council Sharad Chandra Shah and ex-NOC President Rukma Shumsher Rana were posthumously honoured with NOC Presidential Recognition Awards.

Likewise, former Youth and Sports Minister Purushottam Poudel, Honorary President of NOC Dhruba B Pradhan, Chairperson of Sports For All Commission Bishnu Gopal Shrestha, senior sports journalist Shyam Chitrakar, NOC Advisor Lok Bhakta Rana, Olympians Jit Bahadur KC and Baikuntha Manandhar, Brig Gen Dr Sudha Sen Malla, the first woman black belt in taekwondo, women's national team striker Sabitra Bhandari, and sponsors Daraz, Kelme Nepal and Shikhar Insurance also received the NOC Presidential Recognition Awards.

Minister for Youth and Sports Maheshwor Jung Gahatraj, NSC Member Secretary Tanka Lal Ghising and NOC President Jeevan Ram Shrestha among others handed over the awards to the winners.

Earlier, the NOC marked the International Olympic Day with various programmes at the Nepali Army Sports Complex.

A version of this article appears in the print on June 24, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.