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| CPN-UML leader KP Sharma Oli is seen playing Dandi Biyo while inaugurating a Sports Tourism Festival. Circa: April 2011 |
The news of National Sports
Council (NSC) proposing to organize National Games in the first quarter of
coming year must have brought back butterflies in the abdomen of the numerous athletes.
This normally happens, even to the top players; just before they are take on an
opponent in a match. Not necessarily a sign of nervousness, but the stress of
approaching duel. Stress, by itself, is not bad.
Seven months away it is, yet some
of the players must already be licking their lips at a chance of another round
of competitions. For if they're not, they're not worthy of being the athletes
we would be proud of. An athlete, like a warrior, should welcome any
opportunity of a round of duel.
But for most players in the
country, the duels – keeping in mind that our players mostly do well in
individual events – are too few and far in between. This is why the National
Games holds a lot of importance, especially for the players who are not already
representing the nation at international competitions. Almost all the players,
barring a few who take sport as a hobby, dream of playing for their country at
the top level. And the National Games provide them the stage where they can
upstage a present champion; the podium where they announce their coming; the
platform where they humiliate the also-rans.
Moreover, the multi-sport
jamboree brings in a lot of fanfare, makes the youngsters dream. Dreams of
podium finish; Dreams of clinching the honours; Dreams of rising to the
occasion; Dreams of pushing themselves harder...
One should also mention here that the Games
are to be held in Far Western region. It should only help develop and nurture
sports culture.
And for these reasons, the
announcement or proposal – whatever it might be called as of now – has to be
lauded.
Having said all these, the
challenges are still many. The proposed Games, which are to be held in the far
western region, are still not a certainty; it still needs the nod of
ministerial cabinet. And in given circumstances, the members of the cabinet are
counting hours of being in power, rather than weeks or months.
The players and sport
administrators must be keeping their fingers crossed. They must be fighting, in
their mind, the possibility of news that the Games are postponed. After all, it
has already been done earlier this year.
And even the government gives
its nod, some major challenges remain. That of infrastructure. With just over
half a year to go, how many grounds – forget stadia or arena – can be built?
Even if they are built in a jiffy, what would be the standard of
infrastructure? National Games is also to prepare players for international competitions.
Would it be possible to guarantee that? Rallying 5 regional sport development
bodies and 72 district bodies to focus on the Games is a tough ask by itself,
since it is time consuming. And to top all that is a small matter of: Funds. 30
million Rupees has been allocated for infrastructure and you don't need to be a
Chartered Accountant to say, "It's not enough."
In an interview to yours truly,
right after being nominated for the post of Member Secretary of NSW, Yubraj
Lama had spelt out priorities for his tenure. Establishing Sports College
topped his agenda, while regularizing multi-sport competitions (like National
Games) and resolving conflict between sport bodies (like Nepal Olympic
Committee and other associations) also were on his list, as he said.
In the latest announcement of
NSC, initiatives have been taken for these areas, by forming committees and
taskforces, which might even work.
But those, who are not Lama
fans, would term these decisions as populist. They could say that the
government will change and his days on the hot seat are numbered. He may not
get opportunity to implement them, relieving him of the burden.
So the NSC Member Secretary,
Yubraj Lama, must have stressful days ahead. To get permission to organize
event, and that too successfully…
But then, as we earlier
mentioned – Stress, by itself, is not bad. Let's see how he lives it.
(PS: The write-up appeared in Yours Truly's weekly sports column -
OFFSIDE - in The Kathmandu Post, on 13th August, 2011)
Disclaimer: The picture shown in the post is courtesy http://xnepali.net/ihost/dandi-biyo-is-it-the-nepali-national-game.
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