Preparations for 10th National Games pick up pace with 32 sports

The 10th National Sports Competition will be conducted in 32 sports disciplines. The decision was made at a meeting of the main organising committee held on Sunday in Birendranagar, Surkhet.

The meeting was chaired by Education and Sports Minister Sasmit Pokharel and attended by office-bearers of concerned bodies, including Karnali Province Chief Minister Mangal Bahadur Shahi.

The competition will be held in Karnali Province from Mangsir 16 to 27. According to the designated venues, 20 sports will be held entirely in Surkhet, while 8 sports will be held entirely outside Surkhet. Some sports will be conducted in other districts of Karnali and in Nepalgunj, as the National Sports Council is preparing to hold some events outside the province due to lack of infrastructure.

Seven provincial teams and three departmental teams will take part in the competition. The meeting delegated the authority for preparation, management and conduct to the Executive Committee.

Member-secretary of the council Ramcharitra Mehta said a decision had been taken to adopt a public-private partnership model by reaching an understanding with sponsors.

Minister Pokharel said that although doubts are justified because the competition has been postponed several times, it will not be postponed again. According to him, the sports festival began today, and the competition itself will start only from Mangsir 16.

The National Sports Competition is being held in Karnali for the first time.