Despite repeatedly expressing commitment to linking sports with education both policy-wise and legally, Sports Minister Sasmit Pokharel has yet to take concrete steps in this direction within his first hundred days in office. Kathmandu, 21 Ashar. Minister of Education and Sports Pokharel recently released a report detailing the ministry’s activities during his initial hundred days. In the report, Minister Pokharel successfully includes the KAVHA Women’s National League as one of the ministry’s achievements. However, the competition was organized by the Nepal Volleyball Association, with the minister attending as a guest.
Facing allegations of insufficient prioritization of sports, Minister Pokharel’s report lists 42 activities, of which eight pertain to the sports sector. These include the KAVHA Women’s National League and the annual President’s Running Shield competition, both cited as achievements. Additionally, the minister notes that training was provided to 60 individuals as coaches and treatment recommendations were made for 27 athletes, their families, and staff under contractual agreements. The special training for Mission 2026, halted since the end of Magh (January-February), resumed on Jestha 1 (mid-May), about two months after Pokharel assumed office, as mentioned in the report.
To enhance athlete capacity, 13 individuals received sports science training. The ministry also highlights participation of Nepalese athletes in national competitions organized by sports associations and abroad as an accomplishment. Although Minister Pokharel has expressed policy and legal commitments to integrating sports with education multiple times, no solid measures toward this goal are evident within the first hundred days, nor reflected among these achievements. Former Executive Member of the National Sports Council (RASHP), Kamal Bhattarai, says aside from the decision to send teams to the Asian Games, no substantial work is visible in the ministry’s hundred-day report.
“The President’s Cup and KAVHA Volleyball programs listed as achievements are routine events included in previous annual work plans. The new government has brought no innovation here,” Bhattarai stated. “There is no evident novelty in promoting sports.” Former Member Secretary of RASHP, Yubaraj Lama, echoes this view, emphasizing that apart from infrastructure development, no significant progress has been made in sports. “There has been no concrete work on amending the Sports Act or introducing a new action plan,” Lama said, “Although the minister’s responsibilities cover both education and sports, his attention seems to be focused more on education than sports.”
