LALITPUR: The National Sports Draft Suggestion Taskforce convenor Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan on Monday submitted its report to the Minister for Youth and Sports Gopal Man Shakya.

The 28-member taskforce, formed on January 7, has mainly focused on the secured future of the players and the need to reach the grass root level for the overall development of sports.

“The most important thing is the secured life for the sportspersons and the state should own the sports so that our players need not worry about their future,” said Pradhan, who is also the President of Nepal Olympic Committee. “We have included the concept of rural and school sports to produce quality sportspersons,” he added.

“To develop sports from school level, we have suggested that the schools need to include at least four sports disciplines with one sports teacher compulsorily,” Pradhan said.

Pradhan also said that sports associations should coordinate among each other for the development of sports. “We are falling behind due to the lack of coordination,” he added.

The report also highlights

the need of National Academy and scientific approach

to the sports.

“As most of the sportspersons have been unable to continue their education, we have suggested the Ministry to coordinate with the Education Ministry to take the players’ training and education simultaneously,” said Pradhan.

Pradhan said the main objective of the Policy was to establish Nepal as a strong contender among the Asian and South Asian nations.

“We need to modernise the administrative and organisational structures and prepare the favourable atmosphere to coordinate with government, non-government, private and public organisations to make sports an important part of modern lifestyle,”

said Pradhan.

The draft has also focused on converting the sports into academic institution besides making it professional and developing it as an industry. Pradhan also said that they have stressed on the need of infrastructural development. The draft also highligts the need of media centre and sports city.

Furthermore, the taskforce has suggested the government to allocate 0.1 per cent of the import and export tax and also spend a minimum of five per cent from the Parliamentarian Development Fund for sports. It has also requested the government to exempt tax on the amount invested by business houses in sports.

Receiving the proposal, Minister Shakya said he would thoroughly study the draft before taking it to the cabinet meeting for final approval.