Govt to help sports sector grow

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has assured to play a facilitating role in the development of sports sector of the country.

In his address to a programme 'Prime Minster with Sports' organised by the National Sports Council at Nepal Academy on Tuesday, he said the government was working in a planned way to make the sports sector more dynamic.

Noting that allocation of budget to the sports sector was reduced this year owing to the impact of coronavirus, he pledged to provide necessary budget next year. The Prime Minister had expressed happiness over the remarkable achievements Nepal made in the 13th South Asian Games held in Kathmandu in 2019.

He expressed his confidence that the Nepali athletes would continue maintaining the glory of the country through the medium of sports in the coming days. Nepalis do not tend to lose, he said citing the recent record of Nepali summiteers in successfully scaling the world's second highest peak K2 in the winter season.

All Nepalis should make sports an integral part of their lives, he suggested, adding, sports help increase the immunity power of the body.

Oli went on saying that Nepal has gained noteworthy success in the sports sector despite limited resources. The government has been investing in the sports sector as per its capacity and will also continue its investment in the coming years.

He also suggested the coaches and sports officials not to adopt any discriminatory practice in selecting athletes. The prime minister also underlined the need for encouragement and opportunities to the players with higher performance.

No one thinks the investment made in the sports sector unproductive spending, he said. PM Oli also underscored the need to popularize Nepal's traditional and indigenous sports in the international arena.

Prime Minister Oli believed that the sports sector would get momentum soon as it was one of the worst-hit sectors by the COVID-19 pandemic. He further committed to developing infrastructures in the sports sectors adding that the development bid for the same was intensifying in all the seven provinces in the country.

Responding to the queries of athletes, trainers, coach and officials, Prime Minister Oli directed Sports Minister Daba Lama to prepare a report to resolve the problems (including their career development) faced by the officials in the sports sectors.

On the occasion, Prime Minister also committed to completing the construction works of Cricket Stadium in Mulpani soon. PM Oli opined to complete the infrastructure construction for Covered Hall in the capital to develop the national game volleyball within two years.

Similarly, speaking in the same programme Sports Minister Lama committed to working for the development of the sports sector.

He also argued to prepare plans organizing interactions with stakeholders. National Sports Council Member Secretary Ramesh Silwal argued that the government should increase the budget for the sports sector.

Source: RSS