The organizer, Nepal Weightlifting Association, stated that the best weightlifters of the Sixth National Games will compete in the championship. Nepal Army had pulled out of the Sixth National games expressing dissatisfaction over PLA Sports Club´s participation in the games. [break]
Chief coach Tilak Bahadur Raut said that the players were selected on the basis of their performance in the Sixth National Games. “Since we have to select players who had competed in the Sixth National Games, the army players have been left out from the selection.”
This is the biggest weightlifting tournament being held in south Asia. Altogether 60 players from six south Asian countries will participate in the first edition of the championship for 45 gold medals in 15 different weight categories.
The championship will be held in seven different weight categories in the women´s section -- 48kg, 53kg, 58kg, 63kg, 69kg, 75kg and above 75kg weight category. In the men´s section, the championship will be held in 56kg, 62kg, 69kg, 77kg, 85kg, 94kg, 105kg and above 105kg weight categories.
Parth Sarathi Sen Gupta, senior weightlifting coach, said that only one player from a country can participate in one weight category. “In men´s category, only six players are allowed to participate and in the women´s category five players can participate.”
Gupta further added that the championship will be recognized by the Asian Weightlifting Federation and International Weightlifting Federation. World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) will send two doctors to conduct doping tests on athletes.
“This is the first time in the history of weightlifting that doping test will be done on players,” said Gupta, adding, “South Asian Games started from Nepal and we are happy to start South Asian Weightlifting Championship from Nepal as well.”
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