NOC says IAAF excluded the long-distance runner from the final list, recommends Chaudhary
KATHMANDU, JULY 1
Athlete Gopi Chandra Parki has been deprived of Tokyo Olympic Games participation after the Nepal Olympic Committee recommended sprinter Saraswoti Chaudhary in place of the long distance runner.
The Nepal APF Club athlete, Parki had been selected under Universality quota after he won the Dhara Nepalgunj Marathon, which also served as the qualifying event for the Games, in November last year and he had been preparing for Olympics under coach Santosh Shrestha.
But the long-distance runner was not included in the final list announced by the International Olympic Committee and the news surfaced after the National Sports Council did not call Parki and his coach Shrestha for the closedcamp training.
"We had sent the name of Parki to World Athletics for consideration and the athletics governing body informed us that it was not able to include Parki in the final list due to the excessive number of applicants," stated a joint press release issued by the NOC, National Sports Council and Nepal Athletics Association. "We had recommended Parki in the long list and the technical committee under the international federation of respective sport is authorised to decide the quota for participation under Universality place," the release added.
The NOC held a meeting with NSC Member Secretary Ramesh Kumar Silwal and NAA President Rajeev Shah and the three parties issued the joint press release to clarify the issue.
"World Athletics asked us to send the name of a sprinter instead and we have sent the name of Saraswoti Chaudhary as per the NAA recommendation," added the release.
According to NAA President Shah, sprinter Chaudhary was selected as per her past performance and her experience of World Championship participation.
Nepal will field five athletes in the Olympics slated for July 23 to August in Tokyo - three under Universality places and two through wild cards. Swimmers Gaurika Singh and Alex Shah and athlete Saraswoti have been selected under Universality places, while judoka Soniya Bhatta and shooter Kalpana Pariyar have earned wildcards.
The NSC called all the players and coaches for closed camp training from today and they have been placed at Soaltee Crowne Plaza.
A version of this article appears in the print on July 2 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
