KATHMANDU, Nov 30: Nepal women’s volleyball team thrashed Sri Lanka 25-14, 25-18, 25-21 to reach their first final in the history of the South Asian Games on Saturday.

Nepal will now face India in the final on Tuesday, who earlier beat the Maldives 25-14, 25-6, 25-17.

Nepal men’s volleyball team has already crashed out of the competition without a win following their 15-25, 13-25, 16-25 loss against India. Nepal had earlier lost to Bangladesh 25-21, 23-25, 25-19,24-26,12-15.

KATHMANDU, Nov 28: Nepal suffered a disappointing 26-24, 25-12, 25-16 loss at the hands of India in women’s volleyball in the 13^th South Asian Games on Thursday.

A day after beating Bangladesh 25-9, 25-9, 25-11 comfortably, Nepal looked confident and presented a stronger Indian side a competitive game in the first set.

Nepal had almost claimed the set when the score was 22-24 and coach Jagadish Bhatta made substitution sending receivers but it did not work costing Nepal a chance of early lead.

In the second set, India played an strategic match fielding blockers, but as Nepal failed to figure out the Indian tactics, Nepali spikers’ were left in confusion while India dominated the set.

India’s dominance continued in the third set as well. Nepal tried to find strength in the middle of the game but it was India who were quite clever to find open space as Nepali women could not recover handing India three points.

Nepal also has three points and still has a chance to qualify for the semifinals if India beats Bangladesh on Friday.

KATHMANDU, Nov 27: Nepali volleyball team will begin its South Asian Games campaign against India in the inaugural match of the 13th South Asian Games today although the opening ceremony has been scheduled for December 1. The SAG will run till December 10.

Participated by six countries, Nepal is pitted alongside Bangladesh and India in Group A whereas Sri Lanka, Maldives and Pakistan are assembled in Group B.

Nepali women volleyball team will take on Bangladesh at the National Sports Council’s covered hall at 3:00 pm today to open the Games. Maldives women and Pakistan women are also scheduled to face each other later in the afternoon (at 5:00 pm).

Likewise, Nepal’s men will face Bangladesh men at 7:00 pm later in the evening.

Nepali women volleyball team will then meet India on Thursday while the men’s team will vie against India on Friday.

The top two teams of the table will advance to the semifinals, which will be played on Saturday. The final match is scheduled for Tuesday.

KATHMANDU: Nepali national women volleyball team is meeting with Thailand today for a friendly match.

The national women volleyball team which is preparing to participate in the 13th South Asian Games scheduled to be held in Nepal and the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Central Zone Senior Women Volleyball Championship to be hosted by Bangladesh this month is presently in Thailand for training and to play friendly matches with several teams.

Today’s match will commence at 16:00 pm.
In the previously played matches, Nepal had won three and faced a defeat in two.RSS

KATHMANDU, Sept 17: Two national volleyball umpires–Bijaya KC and Bikash Gurung–have been qualified to referee in international matches within the Asian continent, as the duo have passed the examinations of Asian International Referee, said the Nepal Volleyball Association.

The duo has completed the course of Asian level referee organized by the Asian Volleyball Confederation in Thailand from September 5-16.

KATHMANDU, Aug 22: Chinese Taipei defeated Nepal in a volleyball match held under the ongoing 18th Asian Games (Asiad) in Jakarta.

In the match concluded a while ago, Nepal lost to the Chinese Taipei in three straight sets– 25-23, 25-21 and 25-15.

Giving his reaction after the results, Nepali team coach Jagdish Bhatta said Nepal is meeting South Korea for the second math on August 23. Nepal is in the group ‘D” including the South Korea and Chinese Taipai. Despite the defeat, Nepal performed well, he said. “The Chinese Taipei is a strong team.”

The Nepali volleyball team has participated in the Asian Games first time after 32 years. Volleyball is the national game of Nepal.

The team captained by Im Bahadur Magar comprises players Hari Bahadur Adhikari, Ishwar Thapa, Dinesh Raj Giri, Raj Sherchan, Dhan Bahadur Bhatta Chhetri, Naredra Giri, Man Bahadur Shreshtha, Kul Bahadur Thapa, Deepak Raj Joshi, Bhairab Bahadur Bam, and Bishal Bahadur BK. RSS

KUMAR CHAULAGAIN AND NABIN POUDEL, Kathmandu, May 31: A country without its national sport cannot be expected in general. Every country has its own national game. India’s national game is reported to be hockey while table tennis is said to be the national sport of China. So Nepal is no exception.

The Cabinet meeting recently recognised volleyball as the national sport, ending the long-held assumptions for kabaddi or dandibiyo to be the national game.

Following long rigorous study and analysis, the Cabinet recognised the sport with recommendation of the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

The recognition has filled the vacuum created by the long failure to get Nepal have a national game. Besides, it will help form a bond among Nepalis, undersecretary at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ratna Bahadur Katuwal.

The acceptance of volleyball as the national sport was based on the facts that the game can be played within a smaller area given Nepal’s mostly mountainous topography and with as comparatively little as investment. Moreover, it is economically accessible to many Nepalis, he said.

The decision was taken three years after the national sport selection and recommendation committee led by joint secretary of the Sports Division under the Ministry established on the initiatives of then Minister for Youth and Sports Purushottam Poudel on December 19, 2014 had proposed in this regard.

Then the committee had recommended various 13 games based on accessibility, physical structure and situation, self-defence, self-esteem, national pride, efficiency, discipline and probability, assistance and cooperation and art and strategies.

Member of the three-member committee are chief of the competition and planning branch and sports development section of the National Sports Council. The committee had published a notice in national dailies and post offices across the country, held interactions and collected suggestions for the same.

The then Sports Ministry had proposed to the Cabinet that of the recommended games, one of volleyball, kabaddi and wushu should be recognised as the national sport.

Approximately four decades into international volleyball participation, Nepal had managed to grab first international medal in the Asian Senior Central Zone Men’s Volleyball Championship held in Maldives over two months ago.

The game has comparatively strong organisational structures within the country with the formation of the volleyball organisation in all 75 districts.

“Constant concerns and pressure by the Nepal Volleyball Association forced into this decision to recognise volleyball as the national sport,” said an undersecretary of the Ministry.

Applause from the Association

President of the Association Manoranjan Raman Sharma hailed the government’s decision as encouraging for the development of volleyball in Nepal. “The government has handed us an invaluable gemstone. The responsibility has been placed on our shoulders to choose an option whether to throw it away or turn it into a Kohinoor diamond.”
The main challenges to this date is how to develop infrastructure and produce professional players, he said, adding that to tackle these challenges, the National Sports Council and the Ministry should provide necessary assistances.

The Association has also demanded an increment in grant Rs 1.1 million the government has been providing annually for the development and professionalism of the sport.