Kathmandu, December 23

The Opening Ceremony of the seventh National Games witnessed an awkward situation when two unauthorised former karate players joined the Olympians in the torch relay at the Sahid Maidan Stadium in Biratnagar today.

The Olympians were provided with the honour of carrying the torch at the stadium before the cauldron was lit. The 1980 Moscow Olympic Games participant boxer Narendra Poma lit the cauldron after receiving it from fellow Olympian Pushpa Raj Ojha but all that did not happen as planned.

The 10th South Asian Games gold medallist Kushal Shrestha and silver medal winner Ram Limbu joined the Olympians in the torch relay inside the stadium. The organising committee had provided the torch bearers with the track suits but the duo ran with the Olympians in different outfit.

“They came out of the blue and demanded that they should also get the chance to carry the torch,” said 2008 Olympian Deepak Bista, who was assigned with the responsibility of coordinating the torch relay. “They came to me and said that they had already talked with NSC Member Secretary (Keshab Kumar Bista) and Organising Committee coordinator (Kul Bahadur Thapa) about their inclusion in the relay. They accused me of depriving them with the opportunity and even threatened me,” said Bista. “After having a long discussion at the last moment, we had to agree to let them run behind the Olympians,” he added. “They were of the view that being local athletes it was their right to carry the torch but they don’t know it was against the norm of Olympics,” he added. Bista said the programme was set a month ago and that only the Olympians were allowed to carry the torch.

The final leg of the torch relay began from Dharan and after changing hands with Olympians including Sangina Baidya, Deepak Bista and Jit Bahadur KC, Olympian Bishnu Singh handed over the torch to Olympian Sunil Lal Joshi, who gave it to Pushpa Raj Ojha. Ojha then handed over the torch to Poma to light the cauldron. Seven Olympians Hari Rokaya, Jit Bahadur KC, Bishnu Singh, Tika Bogati, Prabin Tuladhar, Bimala Rana Magar and Krishna Basnet had brought the torch from Dhangadhi to Dharan. On Friday, Olympians Baikuntha Manandhar, Sangina Baidya, Deepak Bista and Sunil Lal Joshi joined seven Olympians from Eastern Region — Ojha, Poma, Arjun Pandit, Dambar Kunwar, Menuka Raut, Chandra Kala Thapa and Tika Ram Shrestha — in the final leg of the torch relay. The Olympians ran for three laps at the stadium with the torch before Poma lit the cauldron.