Taekwondo ace Deepak Bista believes that playing in home ground will definitely make a difference.[break]
“Most of the players get nervous to compete in foreign country but playing in the home ground will boost their confidence,” said Bista, who is the only player to have secured four consecutive gold medals in the South Asian Games.
However, Bista is looking forward to a tough competition as the organizers are expecting the participation of around 15 countries, out of which the USA, Hong Kong, Bhutan, Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka have already confirmed their participation.
Bista, who retired from taekwondo last year due to injuries, expressed his delight that the new generation is getting an opportunity to compete in the home ground, which he rarely got to feature in as a player.
“We often go abroad to compete in international tournaments. So we thought why not we organize it here in our country? The players will get a great advantage,” he said, referring to the international championship which is being organized for the first time in Nepal by Nepal Taekwondo Association (NTA).
Olympian Bista further elaborated the advantages of organizing the championship saying that the senior players will get exposure and the juniors can learn from watching them.
“The exposure in this championship will help the players for the Asian Olympic Qualifiers which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand later in November,” he said.
Altogether 14 Nepali players, eight men and six women, are competing in the championship scheduled to be held at the covered hall of the Dasharath Stadium from September 22-24.
The contenders will vie for 14 gold and sliver medals and 28 bronze medals.
Nepali squad’s coach Sangina Baidhya is also upbeat about a good show from the players despite acknowledging the fact that they will have to compete with the best players of the other participating teams.
“We are expecting medals not only from senior player but also from international debutants. There is still one more month of training left and they are learning new techniques from Korean coaches,” said Olympian Baidhya, the first Nepali player to qualify for the Olympics through competitive selection.
There are high hopes from Manita Shahi and Ayasha Shakya who had won medals in Korea Open Taekwondo Championship last year. Shakya is currently in China to compete in the 26th Summer Universiade 2011 along with Ashish Maharjan, who has also been selected for the Mount Everest taekwondo Championship. The two players will rejoin training after returning from China on August 24, according to Baidhya.
The estimated cost of the championship is Rs 13.4 million.
International Nepalese Taekwondo Association (INTA), which is jointly organizing the event with NTA, has formed a 31-member committee to collect funds for the championship.
INTA President Jagan Lal Shrestha is the coordinator of the committee. Shrestha extended his gratitude to all the Nepali taekwondo players living around the world for their support for the championship.
Meanwhile, Deepak Bista, who is also in China with the Nepali team, said before his departure that preparation for the championship is going well because of the support from all sectors, including the National Sports Council, Nepal Tourism Board, the private sector of Nepal and the taekwondo players living abroad.
“We also want to show that we are capable of organizing international championships,” Bista added.
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