Karateka Erica Gurung and table tennis player Shyantu Shrestha were honored with the Player of the Year awards at the 20th NNIPA Sports Awards. Shyantu made history by becoming the first Nepali table tennis player to qualify for the Olympics, representing Nepal at the Paris Games. Twenty-six athletes were recognized as Players of the Year during the event, each receiving a cash prize of 15,000 NPR. The awards ceremony was held on 20 Chaitra in Kathmandu.
Organized by the Nepal National and International Players Association, the award ceremony took place in the premises of Chandeswari Temple in Banepa Municipality, Kavrepalanchok. Shyantu earned the Olympic spot by winning the South Asian qualifiers in table tennis, becoming Nepal’s first Olympic qualifier in this discipline and subsequently representing the country at the Paris Olympics. Based on this significant achievement, he was presented with the Player of the Year award.
Star karate athlete Erica Gurung made history by winning a silver medal at the World Karate 1 Youth League and securing a gold medal at the Australian Open Karate Championship. Having consistently won international medals in karate, Erica was named Player of the Year for the second consecutive year. Both Erica and Shyantu also received an additional prize of 100,000 NPR along with their awards. The male athlete of the year award went to taekwondo player Abhishek Baral, while the female athlete of the year honor was given to boxer Swastika Tiruwa.
Abhishek earned a silver medal at the 6th KASAD Asian Taekwondo Championship. Swastika won a gold medal at the ISF Gymnasiade Summer Games and also secured a bronze at the 2021 Asian Junior Boxing Championships held in Dubai. In the para-athlete category, athlete Pravah Angdambe was recognized for her remarkable accomplishments within a year of entering competitive sports. Making her international debut at the Dubai Grand Prix, she won a silver medal in the T-47 long jump at New Delhi with a jump of 3.96 meters, marking the highest medal achievement in Nepali para athletics.
Volleyball coach Kumar Rai was honored with the Gajaraj Joshi Ideal Sports Personality Award, receiving a certificate and a cash prize of 35,000 NPR. Senior photojournalist Udip Singh Kshetri was awarded the NNIPA Journalism Prize along with 35,000 NPR and a certificate for his two decades of experience covering sports photography. Previously, athletes from 26 sports disciplines were recognized under the Player of the Year 2082 awards.
The awards were jointly presented by Ramcharitra Mehta, Member Secretary of the National Sports Council; Kamal Bahadur Bhattarai, Executive Committee Member of RAKEP; Subarna Shrestha; Bhan Bahadur Chand; RAKEP member Jagat Singh Dhami; Jagat Tamta; Banepa Municipality Mayor Shantiratna Shakya; Deputy Mayor Vimala Sapkota Dahal; Players Association President Deepak Shrestha; and Honorary President Deepak Bista. Member Secretary Mehta praised the commendable effort of bringing outstanding athletes from various sports onto one stage for recognition. This was the first time the awards were held outside the Kathmandu Valley.
