Strong sporting foundations key to producing champions, say athletes

Athletes have called for greater investment in sports infrastructure, training, sports education, and regular competitions, saying Nepal cannot hope to achieve sustained success on the international stage without stronger foundations. They shared their experiences and concerns during a session titled ‘Foundations of Sports’ at the ‘Max Sports Summit’, organised by Kantipur Max Channel on Friday. Nepal’s women’s kabaddi team has won bronze medals at the Asian Games twice, in 2023 and 2026. Manamati Bista was a member of the team on both occasions.

Two months ago, she led the Nepali women’s kabaddi team to a bronze medal at the Asian Games in Japan. “Our preparations for the Asian Games in Japan were underway in India. Once the fixtures were announced, there was enormous pressure on us to win another medal, given our previous success at the last Asian Games,” Bista said during the discussion. “But we won a medal and once again made the country proud.

“However, little has changed for us. There is no infrastructure for kabaddi in Nepal.