Preparations for Ninth National Games underway

A recent meeting of the Council of Ministers has decided to hold the ninth edition of the National Games in Pokhara, the capital of Gandaki.

As the government has fixed the date of the competition, the concerned bodies have started the necessary preliminary preparations. Rajesh Kumar Gurung, a member of the National Sports Council (NSC), said that at least one game has been proposed in all the 11 districts of the state through the Regional Sports Development Committee.

He mentioned that it is important to start building the necessary infrastructure for the competition and upgrade it immediately. He said, "Sports infrastructure is important to make the National Games a grand success. While most sports' infrastructure is ready, some need to be upgraded. ”

Prior to the National Games, programs including closed training along with player selection competitions in 77 districts of the country and all the states have to be taken forward. Gurung informed that at least 36 games have been proposed in the competition.

Khadga Bahadur Ranabhat, a former member of the NSC and a senior player, took the opportunity of organizing the tournament as a challenge and said that the responsibility of repeating the history of four decades ago has fallen on the shoulders of the people of Pokhara. He stressed on the need for all the people of Pokhara and the state to make the competition a success.

The NSC has called for a meeting involving the member secretaries of the seven states to prepare for the national games. The Gandaki Provincial Council had collected suggestions in Pokhara on Saturday for its preparation. Speaking at a program organized at the Pokhara Stadium, Tej Bahadur Gurung, member secretary of state sports, said that suggestions have been collected in the meeting held in the NSC in preparation for the ninth national games.

Chairman of the Nepal Former Sportsmen's Forum Hari Prasad Parajuli said that the people of the state should unite to make the National Games a success even if it is for a short time. Dil Bahadur Gurung, executive member of the state sports council, welcomed the decision of the government to organize the competition in Gandaki.

Although Rs. 170 million has been allocated for the Ninth National Games in Pokhara this year, the implementation of the budget has not started yet.