Koshi Province Intensifies Preparations for 10th National Games in Surkhet

Biratnagar. Koshi Province has intensified its internal preparations for the 'Tenth National Games Competition' to be held in Surkhet, Karnali Province in the coming Mangsir. The Koshi Province Sports Development Board has announced player selection, special training, and even historic prize and incentive packages with the goal of winning more than a dozen gold medals in the competition. The National Sports Council (NSC) decided to hold the Tenth National Games in Surkhet, Karnali, at its 125th meeting. However, there have been some technical difficulties due to the late receipt of the revised date and number of games from the NSC, said Board Member-Secretary Biplav Ghosh. 'Earlier, the competition was scheduled to be held from Mangsir 16 to 29. But, upon correspondence, the time was reduced and set from 16 to 27. When we held the board meeting, only 26 games were included, but now we have received a letter increasing it to 32 games,' he said. 'This has reduced the preparation time. Players should have been kept in closed training for at least 1 month. We could only keep them for 15 days this time.' The Koshi Province government and the Sports Board have significantly increased the prize money to boost the morale of the players. Previously, medal winners would receive only Rs 15,000, Rs 10,000, and Rs 5,000 for gold, silver, and bronze, respectively. Ghosh stated that the prize money was increased after he was appointed as the Member-Secretary of the board. 'After we came to leadership, we increased the prize money to encourage players who win medals in the President's Cup. Now, players who win gold, silver, and bronze medals will receive Rs 100,000, Rs 75,000, and Rs 50,000 respectively,' said Member-Secretary Ghosh. According to him, cash prizes have already been distributed to the winning players in the 16th President's Cup accordingly. In addition, the board is about to make another historic decision for gold medal winners. Ghosh informed that preparations are underway to provide a monthly salary for 2 years along with cash prizes to the players who win gold in the national competition. 'We are discussing this decision, and we will definitely make this decision,' Ghosh said. In the 9th National Games Competition held in Gandaki Province, Koshi Province had won a total of 83 medals, including 10 gold, 23 silver, and 50 bronze. Similarly, in the 16th President's Cup, Koshi Province was limited to a total of 28 medals, including 4 gold, 7 silver, and 17 bronze. Member-Secretary Ghosh claims that this time the results will be better than in the past. 'If possible, we will win all the medals, but that doesn't happen in sports,' he said. 'Based on our preparations, we are preparing to break past records.' Koshi Province's goal in the upcoming competition is to win more than a dozen gold medals. Since the quota letter has been received from the NSC, the deadline for interested players to fill out the form has been set for Ashwin 19. 'Interested players must fill out the form by Ashwin 19, considering their age and sports criteria,' said Member-Secretary Ghosh. 'We will complete all district-level selection competitions within the month of Ashwin.' Member-Secretary Ghosh stated that sports associations and parents have expressed dissatisfaction with the age criteria sent by the NSC. 'The age criteria have been sent by the Council (NSC), and there seems to be some dispute,' he said. 'Associations are protesting this, and complaints are also coming from parents. In some sports, the criterion is set at 12 years, while players as young as 11 years are playing. Parents have submitted applications to us stating that this system should be open and free. We also need to raise this issue.' Before the provincial selection, Koshi Province will conduct special training to enhance the skills of its coaches and referees. Renowned national and international level coaches will be brought to Biratnagar for this purpose. 'To target the Tenth National Competition, we are bringing national and international coaches like Deepak Bisht and Jagat Tamata so that our players and coaches can learn new things. Through them, permanent and volunteer coaches and referees of Koshi Province will be given a refreshment course,' he said. The provincial selection competition will start from Kartik 12-13, immediately after Dashain, to form the final team of the province. After the provincial selection, a 15-day closed training will be conducted from Kartik 28. 'We will send the team of players to Karnali Province (Surkhet) on Mangsir 12. The team will arrive two days in advance to get acquainted with the environment there and for light training.' Ghosh said that they are also establishing a contact secretariat for Koshi Province in Surkhet for the convenience and coordination of the players. Ghosh said that despite the very short time, they will make the province's team excellent by making the best use of the available time.