Nepal has won a total of 206 medals with 51 gold, 60 silver and 95 bronze medals.

So, to honor the medal winners, the Prime Minister K P Oli has announced his decision to provide cash prizes for them, at an event organized at his official residence in Baluwatar on December 11, 2019.

Rewards:

• Gold Medal Winners – Rs 900,000
• Silver Medal Winners – Rs 600,000
• Bronze Medals Winners – Rs 300,000

Meanwhile, the Government of Province No. 3 has decided to boost the morale of the Nepali medal winners in the 13^th SAG. In a meeting of Council of Ministers held on December 9, 2019, the members decided to provide cash prizes to the medal winners.

Rewards:

• Gold Medal Winners – Rs 100,000
• Silver Medal Winners – Rs 50,000
• Bronze Medals Winners – Rs 25,000

Moreover, players who won more than one gold medal will receive a cash prize of Rs 1.1 million.

The 13^th edition of SAG was recently concluded on December 10, 2019. India stood first in the medal tally by securing 310 medals, which includes 172 gold, 93 silver, and 45 bronze medals.

Related Stories:

• Inauguration of 13th South Asian Games in Nepal

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This edition of SAG has been quite encouraging for Nepal as it won 51 gold medals, the highest the Himalayan nation has won in a regional sports event.

On the last day of the series of events, Nepal faced Bhutan in the men’s football at the Dashrath Stadium, where it bagged its 51^st medal after a 2-1 win.

With this, Nepal secured the second position in the SAG medals table, with 206 medals, 51 gold, 60 silver and 95 bronze medals.

However, the 13^th SAG winner was India with 312 medals including 174 golds, 93 silvers and 45 bronzes.

Next to Nepal was Sri Lanka in the third position with 40 golds, 83 silvers and 128 bronzes, followed by Pakistan (31 gold, 41 silver and 59 bronzes) and Bangladesh (19 golds, 32 silvers and 87 bronzes).

The Maldives made it to the sixth position with 1 gold and 4 bronzes, followed by Bhutan (7 silvers and 13 bronzes).

Overall, the event went on a grand scale with South Asian teams performing at their energy levels.

13th South Asian Games – Country-wise Medal Tally

Remarkable 13th South Asian Games Achievements by Nepal

• Swimmer Gaurika Singh emerged as the first Nepali athlete to have claimed 4 gold medals in a single SAG. This has never happened in the past.
• Santoshi Shrestha set a new record as the first female Nepali runner to win a gold in the 10,000 meters race in athletics. She did this in just 35 min 7.94 seconds.
• Kiran Singh Bogati bagged gold in the marathon, making this the first time for the country in SAG in the last 24 years.
• Sangita Dhami is now the first Nepali wrestler to have won an international medal in wrestling.
• Minu Gurung emerged as the first Nepali female boxer to have won a gold medal in South Asian Games.
• Gopi Chand Parki got a gold for Nepal in men’s 5,000-meter race, which happened for Nepal after almost nine years

After a long period of two decades, Nepal could finally win 33 golds in boxing.

Now, the next edition of SAG i.e. 14^th South Asian Games will be hosted by Pakistan.

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Anjali took four wickets in four overs by giving just one run.

Earlier, electing to bat first after winning the toss, Maldivians has scored 8 runs in 11.3 overs at the loss of all wickets.

Surprisingly, 7 of the 8 runs came from wides bowled by Nepalis.

Aima Aishath was the only Maldivian to score a run, while all the other nine got out without making a mark.

Nepal gunned down the meagre target in the 1.1 overs itself.

Kajal Shreshtha and Roma Thapa finished the job with ease by scoring four and two runs, respectively.

Match Summary

• Maldives Women: 8
• Nepal Women: 9/0
• Nepal Women won by 10 wickets (with 113 balls remaining)
• Player of the Match: Anjali Chand

13th SAG – Women’s Cricket Competition Points Table

Bangladesh women’s cricket team won the gold medal!

Related Stories:

• 13th SAG 2019: Nepal Secures ‘Bronze’ in Men’s Cricket
• 13th South Asian Games: Sports Events and Highlights
• 13th South Asian Games – Inauguration Ceremony

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Shrestha set the new record by crossing the finishing line just a millisecond ahead of the Indian runner Kabita Yadav.

Shrestha, who dominated the track from the beginning, was left behind by the Indian athlete with around 100m remaining. But at the last moment, Shrestha geared up her speed and pushed herself ahead to bag the historic gold medal.

• Winner Shrestha: 35 minutes 7.94 seconds
• Runner-up Kabita: 35 minutes 7.95 seconds

Moreover, Shrestha completed the race with her personal best timing surpassing the previous mark of 35:49.

The 10,000-metre race at the South Asian Games was her international debut.

After the nail-biting race, Shrestha said to the press, that even though there was a huge cheer from the crowd, she was not sure about her win. And, she did not believe it until her name was flashed on the scoreboard.

Shrestha, a public health researcher, started shifted her focus to running, by quitting her job and studies two years ago. She hails from Jwalamukhi in Dhading.

Furthermore, Shrestha bagged another milestone as the fourth Nepali athlete to win a gold medal in the regional sports event. Baikuntha Manandhar, Tika Bogati and Rajendra Bhandari are the other three athletes ahead of Shrestha.

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A six-member security management committee has been formed under the leadership of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sarbendra Khanal in view of the upcoming games. National Sports Council Fanindra Paudel is the Committee Secretary.

The committee comprises of Armed Police Force DIG Chandra Prakash Gautam, Brigadier General of the Nepal Army Himanshu Khadka, DIG Deepak Thapa and Director of National Investigation Department Laxman Gurung.

A total of 22,000 personnel including 14,000 from the Nepal Police, 6,000 from Armed Police Force and 2,000 plainclothes police officers will be deployed for the security of the event. The sports events will be conducted across Janakpur, Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Pokhara.

Close to 8,000 people including 5,000 players, coaches and assistants from Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives and Pakistan will be taking part in the event.

Earlier, the Nepal National Sports Council was under question for its ability to host the event due to postponement of the game several times before its upcoming date. The sports authority was reluctant to host the games as the Dasharath stadium has been under renovation for a long time.

With the stadium works close to completion now, Nepal is not only in a position to host the 13^th South Asian Games but will also utilize the venue to inaugurate the Visit Nepal Year 2020.

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NBA Secretary Nabin Bikram Shah informed that a total of ten male players and ten female players have been finalized from the list of 17 male and 17 female players who trained in the closed-camp after the 8^th National Games.

The shortlisted players will be further trained at the closed training camp in Pokhara.

The 13^th South Asian Games Badminton competition is going to be held at a multipurpose hall in Pokhara stadium.

Shortlisted 13^th South Asian Games (SAG) Badminton Players

• Men Players: Bikash Shrestha, Bushnu Katuwal, Dipesh Dhami, Jiwan Acharya, Nabin Shrestha, Praphul Maharjan, Ratnajit Tamang, Sajan Krishna Tamrakar and Sunil Joshi
• Women Players: Amita Giri, Anumaya Rai, Jeshika Gurung, Nangshal Tamang, Nita Lamsal, Puja Shrestha, Rashila Maharjan, Shova Gauchan and Sima Rajbansi.

Related Stories:

• Nepal to Host 13th South Asian Games – 2019

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But the questions remains, Will the Dasharath Stadium be ready in time for the SAG 2019?

The NSC authorities have assured that the stadium will be ready for the SAG 2019 opening and closing ceremonies in December 2019, stating that the stadium renovation works is nearing its final stages.

Despite assurance from the NSC authorities, national and internal sport bodies are questioning Nepal’s ability to host the large-scale sports event, which will see the participation of thousands of athletes from the seven participating South Asian countries.

The 13th edition of the South Asian Games will be divided into 27 various sports events.

The 13^th South Asian Games – 2019 was originally scheduled to be held between February-March 2018 in the given venue. However, Nepal expressed its concern and said that it needed more time to prepare the stadium that was devastated by the 2015 earthquake.

Following this request, a meeting of the South Asian Olympic Committee held in December 2017 decided to postpone the event to March 2019 between 9^th-18^th. Nepal was still unable to meet this deadline.

Finally, the 2019 Games are scheduled to take place in December this year. Moreover, the newly-elected NSC Member Secretary Ramesh Kumar Silwal is unwilling to propose any further postponements.

“We have expedited the renovation work. We are committed to readying the stadium at least a month before SAG. It will be ready by mid-November, no matter what,” said Silwal.

The renovation work for the stadium had actually started much before the 2015 earthquake. However, the natural calamity further increased the delay in renovation.

NSC Engineering Section Chief Arun Upadhyay said that an estimated NPR 220 million from government grant has been spent on renovation works.

“The stadium is being renovated at an estimated cost of Rs 1.5 billion, including 1.2 billion from China and 300 million out of the government’s own pocket,” added Upadhyay.

He also said that the remaining renovation work will be completed by November within the given capital.

According to the NSC, close to a 100 workers are being engaged per day for eight hours to expedite the renovation of the stadium.

Dasharath Stadium Renovation Works – Progress So Far

• The renovation of the general parapet is completed, while the seats have to be installed
• The synthetic tracks have been taken care
• The scoreboard work is in the final stage
• The retrofitting for the VIP parapet is still in progress
• The media center, the VIP room and changing rooms at the VIP parapet are ready
• Renovation work for the covered hall is in its final phase
• Turf installation is in progress
• Installation of water taps and electric bulbs has started

The Dasharath Stadium with a capacity was built in 1956. The stadium has hosted the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup and the 2013 SAFF Championship.

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After successful completion of the Asia-Pacific Summit 2018, Nepal is now making plans and is keen about hosting another South Asian event. But this time, its sports, the 13^th South Asian Games (SAG).

The SAG Committee of Nepal, headed by Nepal Sports Minister Jagat Sunwar, said it will be hosting the 2019 South Asia Games in September 2019.

But, it’s the third such announcement by Nepal since the South Asia Olympic Council granted it hosting rights two years ago.

Hurdles for Hosting 13^th South Asian Games

Infrastructure and Bureaucratic Hurdles
The bi-annual sports event, actually scheduled for 2018, underwent three postponements so far because of the severe damage to Nepal sports infrastructure in the 2015 earthquake and delays in the development of the country’s sports facilities.

Even the new date is being termed ‘doubtful’, considering the number of outstanding projects and other challenges that the country is facing.

“There’s a lot of assumptions about the reason behind postponing the event and it’s wrong to put the blame squarely on the poor infrastructure. I can assure you that lack of sporting facility won’t stop us from hosting the event,” says Keshab Kumar Bista, Member Secretary at the National Sports Council (NSC).

Bista points at lengthy bureaucratic process, disputes in the Nepal Olympic Committee and budget allocation by the government as major hurdles for hosting the 13^th SAG 2018.

“Our bureaucratic process consumes a lot of time, mostly with paperwork. All the groups concerned, including sports governing agencies and the Olympic Committee, need to realise that and find a way to fast-track such processes for swiftly releasing the funds,” adds Bista.

According to Bista, the new date will need approval from the South Asia Olympic Council.

“The South Asian body looks at the international sports calendar and then gives priority to the proposal forwarded by the government. But, I believe the event will not go beyond 2019,” says Shrestha, the Nepal Olympic Committee president.

“Hosting events like SAG is a matter of national pride and everyone must be serious to make it happen,” says Nepal Sports Minister.

If everything goes as planned, it will be third time for Nepal in hosting the 13^th South Asian Games after 1984 and 1999.

Stage Not Set!
The country sports authorities had earlier finalized to host the Olympics in Pokhara and Kathmandu.

Nepal’s only international stadium, Dashrath Stadium where the opening and closing ceremonies were planned to be held, was severely damaged in the 2015 earthquake and is still awaiting reconstruction. While the Pokhara Stadium is not operational yet.

This stadium of 30,000 seating capacity is also the country’s most popular tourism destination and was also chosen to host the women’s football.

Bista is hopeful that the stadium will be back to operational state in a couple of months’ time and Nepal will be ready to host the 13^th SAG even without Pokhara Stadium.

“The Armed Police Force’s Halchowk ground, the All Nepal Football Association ground at Satdobato and the Nepal Army ground can be good alternatives to the Pokhara Stadium,” says Bista.

Budget Challenges
While NSC demanded an NPR 2.13 billion this year to develop sports infrastructure, the Finance Ministry has approved only NPR 1.13 billion, making it a cash crunch for the Council to make necessary developments.

We have received around  NPR 2 billion in the last two fiscal years under the heading of infrastructure development. But we still need another  NPR 480 million this fiscal year in addition to  NPR 1 billion the next fiscal,” Bista informed.

According to him, it would cost NPR 7 billion to host the 13^th South Asian Games, purchasing sports equipment, sports gears and around  NPR 250 million for training Nepali athletes for the tournament.

Besides, existence of two Olympic Committees and power struggle between them is another serious hurdle. “Until the Olympic Committee issue is sorted out, we cannot move ahead with our preparations,” Bista adds.

A national footballer Bikram Lama feels that the inconsistency of hosting big sporting events like the South Asian Games has demotivated athletes, causing uncertainty over the country’s capabilities to hold international events.

“The more playing time players get in an event like the South Asian Games, the more athletes will be occupied doing something they love. In the absence of any action, Nepali athletes will have to start mulling their future in sports,” adds Lama.

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Jeevan Ram Shrestha, President of Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) said that following the favorable verdict given by the Supreme Court, NOC would now accelerate their preparations for organizing the 13th South Asian Games (SAG) in Nepal.

Though SAG is scheduled to be held in March 2019, the date could be postponed as Nepal’s only international stadium, the Dasharath Stadium, is yet to be fully renovated after the damage caused by the 2015 earthquake. Any delay in hosting the event on time is bound to raise questions about Nepal’s ability to organize big international sporting events. However, Shrestha said that the government was closely monitoring the situation and that they are committed to hosting the event successfully.

Shrestha also mentioned that since most of the earlier editions of the SAG have not been held as per schedule, the South Asian Olympic Council has stipulated countries that are interested in hosting SAG to submit a guarantee of USD 500,000 from the 14^th edition onwards.

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