Kathmandu, June 23

Judoka Phupu Lhamu Khatri and archer Jit Bahadur Moktan have earned the wildcards for this year’s Rio Olympic Games.

The Tripartite Commission of Olympic Games had last month confirmed taekwondo player Nisha Rawal’s participation in the summer games slated for August 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro.

“The International Olympic Committee confirmed the wildcards for Nepali judo player Phupu Lhamu Khatri and archer Jit Bahadur Moktan,” informed Nepal Olympic Committee in a release today. “The NOC had requested the IOC to provide wildcards to the athletes — who have secured minimum qualifying points — to ensure their participation in the Olympics,” the release added.

Taekwondo player Rawal and judoka Khatri have been training under the Olympic Scholarship Programme along with four other athletes. Khatri, the gold medal winner of the 12th South Asian Games held in India in March, is currently training in Hungary, while Rawal has gone to South Korea for a 20-day special training. NOC has applied for wildcards in six sports disciplines — taekwondo, archery, judo, boxing, badminton and shooting. The Tripartite Commission of Olympic Games decides the quota of wildcards for the member associations.