The Nepalese women’s kabaddi team departed for India on Wednesday to prepare for the 20th Asian Games. The team will train for one month at the Vibrant International School and Kabaddi Academy in Haryana, India. Following this, the team will continue their training by playing practice matches in Jaipur and Uttar Pradesh, also in India. The team plans to depart from India to Japan on October 19 to participate in the Asian Games, which begin on October 20.
The women’s team includes captain Manmati Bista, Jayanti Badu, Ravina Chaudhary, Menuka Rajbanshi, Mina Nepali, Khimmaya Khatri, Ganga Ghimire, Sirjanakumari Tharu, Nanumaya Parajuli, Vinita Pandit Kshetri, and Asma Yadav. This will be Khimmaya’s first international competition at the 20th Asian Games. Another team member, Anuja Kulung Rai, will not participate due to medical reasons. The All Nepal Kabaddi Association General Secretary Arvind Kumar Jha stated that a decision regarding her replacement will be made shortly.
Eight nations will compete in women’s kabaddi. Nepal, placed in Group B, will compete against Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Chinese Taipei. Chinese Taipei was the runner-up in the previous edition. Group A includes Iran, Japan, Bangladesh, and India. This will be the women’s team’s second participation in the Asian Games. The team made history by winning a bronze medal at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. Six players from that medal-winning Hangzhou squad are present in the current team.
The women’s kabaddi team has also won bronze medals at the Asian Kabaddi Championship held in Iran and the Asian Beach Games conducted in China. The team was sent off on Wednesday through a program attended by Ramcharitra Mehta, Member Secretary of the National Sports Council; Tulsi Thapa, President of the Kabaddi Association; General Secretary Jha; and Head Coach Deepak Bista. Member Secretary Mehta expressed high hopes for the team to bring home a medal.
