Nepal Finishes Without Medal at Kavre Women’s Volleyball Championship, New Players Gain Experience and Opportunity

Nepal, aiming to secure the title at the Kavre Women’s Championship held on home soil, ended the tournament without winning any medals for the first time, while new players gained valuable experience and international exposure. Nepal was defeated by India in the third-place match, resulting in a medal-less outcome. Following this competition, Nepal entered the FIVB world rankings for the first time, positioned at 61st.

The championship, which began on May 22, Nepal’s National Volleyball Day, saw the Nepali women’s team set sights on winning the trophy. However, the tournament concluded on May 31 with Nepal unable to break into the top three. The loss to India in the bronze medal match forced them to finish without any medals on home ground.

Although Nepal had consistently won medals in previous editions, this time they failed to secure any. Coach Jagadish Bhatt stated, “Our performance was good, but we couldn’t achieve the expected medal. It was disappointing for volleyball fans to have their hopes unfulfilled.” Nepal won 2 out of 5 matches and lost 3. Being defeated twice by India highlighted weaknesses in the squad. Head coach Bhatt added, “We had set a target for third place. Some errors in service and weakness at critical moments prevented us from succeeding.”

The team featured six new players, with Niruta Thagunna appointed as the new captain. Six players making their senior team debut participated for the first time. Coach Bhatt emphasized the need to provide further opportunities to these newcomers and praised 17-year-old Mina for her strong performance. Although there are no immediate plans for Nepal to compete in other international tournaments, their participation in the 20th Asian Games, scheduled for September in Aichi Nagoya, Japan, has been confirmed.