Both sports and sports persons need better incentives and encouragement if Nepalese sports are to aim higher

Of late, young Nepalese cricketers have done the country proud by their sterling performances. In football, too, Nepal has recently ended its long trophy drought by defeating a strong Bahrain Under-23 side to win the Bangabandu Gold Cup in Dhaka while the Nepali cricket team won impressively with a eight-wicket victory of Ireland to make it to the quarter finals of the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup last week. Finally, the Nepalese can take some comfort from the achievements of these ‘heroes’ even as the country is reeling from the aftereffects of the devastating earthquake of April 25 and the shortages of essentials from the undeclared blockade by our southern neighbour. Both these victories give an indication of the fact that Nepal can make big strides in sport, particularly in certain games like cricket if a combination of right things help the Nepali sports.

At one time Nepal was considered to be powerhouse of football in South Asia. However, for many years they have not succeeded in winning any important game. The country failed to score in the matches that they played for quite sometime and their strikers had not succeeded in scoring even a goal. Now Nepal finally has been able to score thereby boosting their morale. As for cricket, which is gaining popularity in Nepal, these days even rivaling football, this latest win has worked wonders. The remarkable feature of this Nepalese cricketing side was that it was able to defeat both New Zealand, a Test playing nation, and Ireland which is also considered to be a strong side. Nepal is playing India in the quarter finals today. This match will be closely followed especially by Nepal to see how well their side will do. In the match against Ireland Man of the Match Sandeep Lamichhane became the first Nepali bowler to take a hat-trick.

Still there are a lot of grievances in sports in Nepal in general. It seems that Nepal would be winning accolades only when they play independently, which they have done occasionally. Furthermore, the overall sporting sector reeks of corruption and politicization. The recent charging of some Nepali football players for match fixing has shocked the entire football fans. Meanwhile, it is up to the authorities to utilize the scarce resources allocated to sports in the country. There is no doubt that Nepal also could do well in sports in the future if the talent is spotted and nourished. There could be more special schools taking in students and training them in games like football and cricket, as is done in many countries. There is all likelihood that sporting stars will emerge if this is done. It is also highly necessary that we should go ahead with promoting professionals who can make a living from playing these games. Competitive sports should be taken up seriously and those who excel in them would deserve accolades and financial security. Meanwhile, it is not appropriate to rest on their achievements. They should go for rigorous training. Furthermore, they should be made to participate in various sporting events taking place out of the country. Both sports and sports persons need better incentives and encouragement if Nepalese sports are to aim higher.

Bird menace

Bird menace is one of the biggest problems for the safety of aircraft taking off and landing at the only International Airport which also functions as a domestic terminal. Birds including falcons, kites and other birds of prey fly over the sky of an area littered with garbage causing much difficulty to aircraft to operate. International practice has it that no garbage is dumped or other meat processing activities are carried out near any airport. Birds are attracted to meat, carcasses and earth worms sprouting over the ground during winter. Keeping this in mind the CIAA has directed the KMC to strictly prohibit operation of slaughter houses or sales of meat around three-kilometer radius of the airport to avoid collision of any aircraft with birds. Open sales of meats and unlicensed shops of butchery are rampant within the Valley though law prohibits such acts. Despite the airport authorities’ attempts to control such activities there are several meat shops called sekuwa (barbecue) corners running near the airport. Garbage is also dumped in the rivers flowing past the airport. Such activities must be controlled to ensure airworthiness of the only international airport.