KATHMANDU: Nepali junior taekwondo and archery teams today left for Incheon, South Korea for one month training programme slated for December 17 to January 16.

The Nepali teams were invited for the training by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) - Incheon Vision 2014 Program. The program is conducted by the Incheon Metropolitan City in coordination with the OCA targeting the 17th Asian Games which the city will host in 2014.

The archery team includes Krishna Maya Syangten, Radhika Bhulun, Dil Kumari Thapa and Buman Paija. Ranjan Shrestha, Pradip Ale Magar, Bina Lama, Sita Tamang and Gyani Chunara will take part in taekwondo training. The team is accompanied by taekwondo coach Hemanta Dangi.

Although the training is conducted under the Incheon

Vision 2014 Program, the Nepal Taekwondo Association (NTA) is taking it as a ground

to prepare their players for

the Youth Olympics to be held in Singapore in July next year. “After the training in Incheon, we will hold a selection program which will pick the players for the eighth WTF World Junior Championships in Mexico,” said the NTA General Secretary Deep Raj Gurung.

The March 6-9 event in Mexico will see 64 players book the tickets for the Youth Olympics. “The training is very important for us and, further more, it would also assist our players in their bid to qualify for the World Junior Championships,” said the team coach Dangi.

The Nepal Olympic Committee President Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan among others bade farewell to both the teams.