The 18-member Nepalese youth taekwondo team, led by Prahlad Thapa, has traveled to China to participate in the 2026 Hainan Xinglong International Youth Taekwondo Open Championship. The competition, jointly organized by Waning Municipal Government and Hainan Taekwondo Association, is being held from Friday to Sunday in Waning City, Hainan Province, China.
The Nepalese team is participating under the leadership of Prahlad Thapa. Team members include Dipesh Manandhar, Praveen Shrestha, Om Bhandari, Soya Chakradhar, Srishti Bik, Kenis Khadka, Avantika Jha, Sanvi Sharma, Avanshikha Gupta, Shreyash Tiwari, Suvin Sapkota, Nirbhigna Ghimire, Mohammad Sami, Sujal Lo Tamang, Prince Bogati, Shubham Raymazi, and Srishti Sherpa.
The team was sent off by Vice President of Nepal Taekwondo Association Bhan Bahadur Chand, General Secretary Hemant Dangi, central member and international referee Bablu Sivakoti, and Kaviraj Negi Lama, among others. The squad includes athletes from various age groups, with Avanshikha Gupta, born in 2017, being the youngest competitor.
