The Sixth National Games is scheduled to be held from February 26 to March 4 in Dhangadhi, Mahendranagar and Tikapur.[break]
"The preparation works are almost complete. We hope the opening ceremony to be wonderful. The works to accommodate athletes and guest are going on smoothly," said National Sports Council (NSC) Member Secretary Yuvaraj Lama.
Opening Ceremony
According to Opening Ceremony Management Committee Secretary Kul Bahadur Thapa, 2500 students and Armed Police Force personnel will perform at the opening ceremony. "Students of 19 schools are engaged to perform in the opening ceremony," said Thapa.
The opening ceremony will highlight different cultures of the host Far Western Region. "The performances by students will highlight the cultures of the region to promote it as a potential tourism destination," said Thapa.
The opening ceremony is set to begin from 1:15 pm and go on till 3:55. President Ram Baran Yadav will declare the games´ opening while NSC Member Secretary Lama and Nepal Olympic Committee President Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan will deliver short speeches.
Games Torch
Olympian Deepak Bista will light the Games Torch. A group of Nepali Olympians led by veteran athlete Jeet Bahadur KC has begun the torch relay from Lumbini on Friday. Olympian Krishna Basnet, Raj Kumari Pandey, Bimala Rana Magar, Hari Bahadur Rokaya, Bishnu Bahadur Singh and Dambar Dutta Bhatta will carry the torch from Lumbini to Dhangadhi Stadium.
VIP Guests
Along with President Yadav, high ranking political leaders of the Far Western Region will observe the opening ceremony. Minister for Supply Lekhraj Bhatta, Youth and Sports Minister Kamala Roka, State Minister for Youth and Sports Gopi Achhami are already in Dhangadhi while Former Home Minister Bhim Rawal, NC leader NP Saud, Ramesh Lekhak will also be present at the ceremony.
Five hundred VIP passes have been issued for the opening ceremony while 2000 ordinary parapet passes will also be issued for local stake holders.
The stadium gates will be open for all people interested to watch the opening ceremony.
Number of athletes
According to National Sports Council (NSC), altogether 3381 athletes are participating in the grand sporting event of the nation. All five development regions and departmental teams, namely Armed Police Force, Nepal Police, Universities and PLA Club, are participating in the National Games. Central Region has the biggest team of athletes with 357 male and 195 female athletes participating in the games.
Around 2000 athletes will stay in Dhangadhi and rest of the athletes will stay in Mahendranagar. "Hotel rooms and guest houses of different government offices are already booked for athletes. We´ll manage home-stay for around 250 athletes since we have not been able to accomodate them in hotels," said NSC Member Secretary Lama.
Since only 1000 hotel rooms are available in Kailali and Attariya, NSC has managed a 2-bed room for three athletes.
In Mahendranagar, athletes will have to stay in school buildings.
Coaches and Officials
According to NSC, 392 coaches will guide athletes during the National Games while there are 269 team managers coming to the Far Western Region for the game. "Altogether 1,177 judges and technical manpower will be deployed during the games and 96 representatives of different sports association will monitor it," said Partha Sarathi Sen Gupta, member of the technical committee.
Security and Medical services
Chief District Officer of Kailali Kailash Kumar Bajimay will look after overall security of the opening ceremony in Dhangadhi. The security personnel will be deployed at all the venues during the games.
Meanwhile, seven beds have been reserved for the Sixth National Games in the Seti Zonal Hospital. Four ambulances, including two in Mahendranagar, will be in standby for any emergency.
Games and Venues
The Sixth National Games will feature 32 games, including Taekwondo Union as a promotional game.
Athletics, men´s football, badminton, women´s volleyball, boxing, basketball, karate, kabaddi, gymnastics, judo, handball, soft tennis, full contact, ITF and Taekwondo Union´s promotional games are scheduled to be held in Kailali.
Kanchanpur will host men´s volleyball, weightlifting, table tennis, taekwondo, wrestling, cricket, wushu, bodybuilding, hockey, chess, archery and the closing ceremony.
NSC was forced to give hosting rights to some other cities for some of the games as Kailali and Kanchanpur lack venues for those games. Cycling will be held in Dhulikhel, Kavre, while Birgunj will host swimming. Golf will be played in Pokhara while lawn tennis, shooting, squash and snooker will be played in Kathmandu.
Medals
During the 7-day event, athletes will vie for 302 gold and equal numbers of silver medals. There are 462 bronze medals in the Sixth National Games.
Logo and Mascot
The logo of the Sixth National Games is designed by artist Jiwan Raj Upadhyay. The logo features Olympic rings, a flying pigeon and the background of national flag.
Likewise, Barhasingha (swamp deer) is taken as mascot of the Sixth National Games. The mascot is designed by artist Uday Raj Rajbhandari.
Controversies
The NSC leadership and local organizing committee have been facing different controversies during the preparation of the games. Media have criticized them for using substandard materials in construction and for delaying the construction work. Likewise, local political leaders had recently asked for transparency in the financial expenses.
Budget
According to Lama, Nepal Government has released Rs 219.4 million for the national games and around two third of it is already spent to host district and regional competitions. Around 60 to 70 million will be spent to organize the main event in Kailali and Kanchanpur as well as other venues.
Around 70 million is invested in developing infrastructure in Dhangadhi and Mahendranagar. Two parapets, athletics track are built in Dhangadhi while a cricket ground is ready in Mahendranagar. Two covered halls, one each in Dhangadhi and Mahendranagar have been renovated.
Athlete Thapa could miss Nat´l Games
Nepal Police Club athlete Chandra Kala Thapa sustained injury on her left leg and she could miss the Sixth National Games.
Olympian Thapa, who arrived to Dhangadhi on Wednesday to acclimatize, picked injury during her practice session on Thursday. "Doctors told me that I´ve hamstring problem in my left thigh. They´ve asked me to take rest for at least one week," said Thapa.
Thapa is to participate in 100m, 200m and two relay sprints in the Sixth National Games. "I´m just praying for speedy recovery as my events are scheduled for February 27th and 28th," said Thapa.
Nepal Police Club´s athletics coach Leela Shrestha said that he is expecting Thapa to return to the track. "She is an important player for our club and it will be tough for us if she misses the Sixth National Games. However, I´m hopeful she will return to the track," said Shrestha.
Thapa had claimed two gold medals in relay event of athletics and two silver medals in 100m and 200m sprints in the Fifth National Games.
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