Footballer Sagar Thapa, swimmer Shreya Dhital, volleyball player Sipora Gurung, boxer Deepak Maharjan and cricketer Rahul BK were nominated for the award. The winner will be decided through SMS voting. [break]
NSJF President Niranjan Rajbanshi and Manager of THT Live 3131 Bhima Pradhan signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the SMS voting.
The voting has been opened on Wednesday and will continue till September 10 midnight, the eve of the award function to be held at the Nepal Academy Hall, Kathmandu. The users of Nepal Telecom, Ncell and United Telecom (UTL) can vote for the players as many times as they like. Each vote costs Rs 3 plus taxes and one lucky voter will get a Timex watch.
Three nominees present at the program expressed happiness on being selected for the award. Maharjan and BK were absent as both of them are on national duty for the Asian Boxing Championship and the ICC U-19 World Cup Qualifiers respectively.
National football team skipper Sagar Thapa said that being nominated in the Popular Player Award itself is like winning the award. “We all nominees are the winners and wish other players to win it. I am nominated in this category due to my team and from this place I want to thank my team,” he said and added, “My nomination in this category is the nomination of our national football team.”
National volleyball player Sipora Gurung thanked NSJF for nominating her for the Popular Player of the Year Award. “NSJF is the only institution which awards players and provide them motivation to play well in the coming years.”
She also expressed her dissatisfaction with Nepal Volleyball Association as the players have not been able to play any international match for the past six years. “Due to less international tournaments, new players have only subdued interest in volleyball. Let´s hope in future the association does more for the players,” she added.
Swimmer Sherya Dhital said that the time she spent in the chlorine water has brought her to this stage. “I am delighted to be named along with great players. It is a big achievement in my life.”
Footballer Jumanu Rai won the award in 2008 and volleyball player Manju Gurung the following year. Footballer Santosh Shaukhala was the winner during last edition of the award.
Pulsar Popular Player of the Year Award
Type Pulsar <space> code and send it to 3131
Sagar Thapa pulsar <space> ST and send to 3131
Shreya Dhital pulsar <space> SD and send to 3131
Deepak Maharjan pulsar <space> DM and send to 3131
Sipora Gurung pulsar <space> SG and send to 3131
Rahul Biswakarma pulsar <space> RB and send to 3131
Deepak Maharjan: He prevented Nepal from returning empty handed from the 16th Asian Games held in Guangzhou last year as he was the only Nepali to win bronze medal in the Asian sports extravaganza. It was the first medal for boxing after two decades. Maharjan also won bronze medal in the Kings Cup in Thailand, which is also known as the Mini Olympics, after 32 years for Nepal.
Rahul BK: He took eight wickets in World Cricket League Division 4, four wickets in 16th Asian Games, and 21 wickets in ACC U-19 Elite Cup. The left-handed spinner took 33 wickets in total. BK guided Nepal to the second position in the ACC U-19 Elite Cup and also earned the best bowler award. He also created a historic record in Nepali cricket with 21 wickets in a single tournament. Eight wickets for 15 runs against Thailand was the best figure for a bowler in Nepal in any age group tournament. BK´s role was equally impressive in the current U-19 World Cup Qualifiers.
Shreya Dhital: With 11 gold medals in the 16th National Open and Age Group Swimming Tournament, Dhital has shown her supremacy in national level swimming. A student of Lincoln School, Dhital had won gold in breast stroke, free style, butterfly and back stroke. She also broke the national record after 12 years in the 14th World FINA Championship held recently in China. Dhital clocked 1:10:82 seconds to break the record of Runa Pradhan in 100 meter free style. Phadhan had clocked 1:11.24 during the Eighth South Asian Games held in Kathmandu.
Sagar Thapa: He is the most successful youth captain in the history of Nepali football. Thapa has been serving the national team since 2003 and is the most experienced player in the current squad. In the captaincy of Thapa, Nepal performed well in the SAFF Championship, AFC Challenge Cup and 2014 World Cup Qualifiers. Nepal also topped the ranking in the South Asian region during his captaincy.
Sipora Gurung: At the age of 12, Gurung was included in the national team for the 10th South Asian Games and is serving the national squad till date. A resident of Pokhara, Gurung has won the Most Valuable Player Award once and the Best Player Award twice in the Dhorpatan Cup Volleyball Tournament. Gurung was a member of the Western Region when it won the 13th and 14th National Volleyball Championship. She was also a member of the squad when the Western Region won gold medal in the Fifth National Games.
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