Lalitpur, September 2

A 20-member Nepali judo is set to leave for India on Saturday to take part in the 10th Asian Cadet and 17th Asian Junior Judo Championships slated for September 7-11 at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Kerala.

The team includes 12 players. Phupu Lhamu Khatri (below-63kg), Punam Shrestha (below-70kg), Anju Pandey (below-52kg), Manisha Maharjan Putuwar (below-48kg), Kiran Gadel (below-55kg), Sudesh Dong (below-60kg) and Ram Bhakta Tamang (below-66kg)

will take part in the junior category, while Sharada Kumari Khatri (below-48kg), Manita Shrestha Pradhan (below-57kg), Laxman GC (below-50kg), Roshan Bahadur Dong (below-55kg) and Sanjog Bhatta (below-60kg) will compete in the cadet category.

Team managers Dharma Ratna Pachhai and Gayatri Basnet and coaches Ramesh Magar and Devika Khadka will accompany the players to India.

Similarly, Nepal Judo Association member and chief coach Birendra Ranjit will is scheduled to participate in the IJF International Referee Seminar, while coaches Prithvi Alok and Mohan Sunuwar will take part in the IJF Continental Referee Examination.

NJA President Deepak Harsha Bajracharya, who is also the Coaching Director of the Judo Union of Asia, will also leave for India on Monday.

Nepal Olympic Committee President Jeevan Ram Shrestha bade farewell to the team amid a programme today. “Judo is one of the most promising games in the country and it can bring better results in coming days,” said Shrestha.

“Nepali judo team also performed well in the 12th South Asian Games and judoka Khatri gave her best performance in the Rio Olympic Games. The NOC is planning to introduce plans to strengthen the sport for better results in 2020 Tokyo Olympics,” he added.

NJA President Bajracharya said he was confident of winning medals in India. “I am certain that Nepali players will put up their best performance in India and also bag medals,” he said.

Judoka Khatri said that her aim would be to improve her performance. “I’ve been doing well recently and I am aiming to improve my performance level,” Khatri commented.