Players securing gold, silver and bronze medals will get Rs 100,000, Rs 50,000 and Rs 25,000 respectively from NJA. The players will also get Rs 10,000 for every bout they win.[break]
On the occasion, officials of NJA also handed over sports kits to members of the judo team selected for the Asiad. Judo players Deepak Krishna Shrestha (U-73 kg), Rajan Joshi (Above 100 kg), Ranju Rai (U-57 kg), Sushila Adhikari (U-52 kg), JICA senior volunteer and judo coach Masahiro Maeda, coach Rajesh Karmacharya and team manager Bishnu Bahadur Gurung received track-suits, shoes, bags, carpets and T-shirts from NJA President Bajracharya, chief coach Birendra Ranjit and Changathali Club.
Meanwhile, judo coach Surya Narayan Shrestha has been appointed an international referee for the Asiad by the Judo Union of Asia. This is the first time that a judo coach from Nepal has been appointed referee for the Asiad, according to NJA.
The officials of NJA said the function was held to motivate the players. Bajracharya said NJA is trying to send the players to Guangzhou a week ahead of the Asiad and has requested National Sports Council Member Secretary Hari Babu Chaudhary in this regard. Bajracharya said Chaudhary is positive about the issue.
Speaking at the function, Chaudhary as usual pointed toward fund crunch and requested the players to utilize whatever they would get.
Japanese coach Maeda is traveling to Guangzhou on his own expense. The 7th Dan international judo instructor said winning gold in the Asiad is not impossible but the lack of regular training might be the main drawback for Nepal in achieving the target.
“Judo is the same everywhere. If the players give continuity to their training then they can win medals. But the players here lack motivation and seriousness,” he said, adding, “Among the four players, I see good chances for Deepak Krishna Shrestha to win medal.”
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