Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, July 7:

King Gyanendra conferred president of All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) Ganesh Thapa with the Gauravmaya Supradipta Birendra Prajatantra Bhaskar Third. Former national football captain Upendra Man Singh and his teammate Bal Gopal Maharjan were awarded with Prakhyat Trishakti Patta Fourth. President of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Mohamed Bin Hammam and AFC vice president Mani Lal Fernando, along with ANFA vice presidents Narendra Shrestha and Kishor Rai, and ANFA treasurer Birat Jung Shahi were among those awarded with the Prabal Gorkha Dakshin Bahu Fourth, which were awarded on the occasion of the 59th birthday of King Gyanendra. Others to be feted with the Prabal Gorkha Dakshin Bahu Fourth were Ram Krishna Verma (athletics); Dhruba KC (football coach); Ramesh Raj Joshi (table tennis); Ramji Prasad Bajracharya; Tilak Bahadur Raut, Jagadhish Pradhan and Gopal B Shrestha (weight lifting); Puja Shrestha and Sumina Shrestha (badminton); Paresh Lohani (cricket); and Purushottam Rijal, Sumitra Napit and Rajendra Subedi (Kyokushin karate).