KATHMANDU, APRIL 22
Nepal will take part in 23 sports disciplines in the 19th Asian Games to be held in Hangzhou, China from September 10-25.
The 112th board meeting of the National Sports Council chaired by Minister for Youth and Sports Maheshwor Jung Gahatraj decided the number of sports disciplines for the Asiad including women's football and women's volleyball for the first time. Other sports disciplines that will make appearance in the Asian sporting extravaganza are taekwondo, karate, boxing, athletics, cycling, golf, wresting, weightlifting, judo, swimming, triathlon, wushu, archery, basketball, kabaddi, fencing, handball, table tennis, men's cricket, shooting and badminton. Nepal had participated in 29 sports disciplines in the previous edition of the Asian Games held in Indonesia winning just one silver medal in paragliding.
NSC Member Secretary Tanka Lal Ghising said the sports disciplines were selected as per the results of previous Asian Games participations and success in recent tournaments.
The board meeting also decided to start the process for selection of players and their closecamp training apart from managing budget. Around 150 athletes, 28 coaches and 20 managers are expected to take part in Asiad along with officials.
The NSC board meeting - which was held for the first time in three years - decided to include 36 sports disciplines in the ninth National Games slated for June 5-11 in Gandaki Province and also approved the directives. The meeting decided to include Thelo and canoeing as demonstration sports in the Games. A total of 11 teams -seven provinces, three departmental sides and NRN - will take part in the Games.
According to the NSC, the sports disciplines to be included in the Games are athletics, badminton, table tennis, cricket, football, tennis, hockey, boxing, volleyball, kabaddi, weightlifting, shooting, gymnastics, swimming, handball, judo, wrestling, soft tennis, squash, taekwondo, wushu, basketball, bodybuilding, chess, kho-kho, karate, full contact karate, ITF Taekwondo and sepaktakraw.
Likewise, golf, archery, cycling, fencing, triathlon, paragliding and rugby were also included in Games. The meeting added seven-a-side rugby to that of 35 sports disciplines included in the eighth National Games held in Province-V three years ago. According to Member Secretary Ghising, around 6,800 athletes, 1,000 each coaches and referees, 500 managers and representatives from 114 national associations will take part in the Games.
A version of this article appears in the print on April 23, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
