Kathmandu, July 26: Total 181 Nepali athletes, who have been selected to participate in the 18th Asian Games to be held in Indonesia from coming August 18 to September 1, now have intensified their practices in the closed-door training camp.
Some 125 men and 56 female players are representing Nepal in 28 games of the Championship. In view of the fast-approaching mega sports event, Nepali athletes now are focused on practicing their games in and outside Kathmandu as well as in abroad.
According to the National Sports Council, training of various sports including bow and arrow, shooting, athletics, sepakata, climbing, karate, gulf, wussu, basketball and swimming is taking place in the federal capital.
Likewise, training related to cycling, football, badminton, triathlon and lawn tennis are taking place in Lalitpur while Paragliding and Kabaddi related training is being conducted in Pokhara.
Volleyball is being practiced in Bhimduttanagar and training on weight lifting and boxing are being held in Nepalgunj.
SAG gold medalist from Judo, Phupulhyamu Khatry, now is taking training in Japan. She has been in Japan for training for over three months.
Nepal has been participating in the Asian Games since its first edition. So far Nepal has gained a silver medal and 22 bronze medals in the sports championship.
The first Asian Games took place in New Delhi of India in 1951. Nepal had to wait for the 10th edition to clinch medals. Nepal had won 10 bronze in the 10th Championship held in Seoul of South Korea in 1986.
In the sports event, Nepal won eight medals, four each in boxing and taekwondo.
The 13th edition of the Asian Games held in 1998 is so far the most yielding for Nepal. Nepal gained one silver and three bronze medals in the event. Sabita Rajbhandari had won the silver medal for the country in the championship.
Coming a long way to the 18th edition, Nepal has set a target to secure gold medals in the South Asian game.
NSC member-secretary Keshab Kumar Bista said that the country has expected gold medals in taekwondo, karate, wussu, judo and para gliding in the Asian Games this time.
“We have improved our practices this time. The duration of closed-door training is also long than before with expectation to clinch historic victory”.