Minister Chaudhary forms panel to revive delayed National Games

KATHMANDU: Minister for Youth and Sports, Teju Lal Chaudhary, has announced the formation of a study committee to hold the long-overdue 10th National Games at an appropriate time.

Speaking at a press meet held at the Ministry in Singha Durbar to present the ministry’s annual performance report, Minister Chaudhary acknowledged the failure to conduct the event, which was originally scheduled for Mangsir 2081.

Although the National Games are supposed to be organized every two years as a cornerstone of Nepal’s sports development, the 10th edition—slated to take place in Karnali Province—was postponed due to delays in infrastructure development and a lack of timely attention from the Ministry.

Chaudhary expressed readiness to organize the games as soon as possible and highlighted that infrastructural delays prevented its timely execution. The new study committee will assess and recommend a suitable timeline for the event.

In his annual report, Minister Chaudhary focused primarily on controversial incidents and future plans. He revealed that the 122nd board meeting of the National Sports Council (NSC), held under his leadership, dissolved seven sports associations and formed ad hoc committees for them. Elections have already been held for five of them, while one remains under court consideration.

Chaudhary also declared the newly elected executive committee of the Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) to be illegitimate, claiming the election violated a court order. He stated that work was being carried out illegally under the current NOC leadership and announced that the Ministry will soon inform the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to initiate the process of forming an ad hoc committee for the NOC.

Regarding international representation, including the upcoming 20th Asian Games, he said preparations would move forward through the ad hoc committee.

Chaudhary also mentioned that a bank account associated with the NOC had been frozen and that individuals involved in unauthorized personal activities had been barred from participating in official NOC events.

He clarified that he had taken no steps to halt the Nepal Premier League (NPL), asserting that his only concern was ensuring it was conducted within legal frameworks. He also addressed corruption allegations surrounding the NPL, stating that a complaint had been filed with the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA). Although he requested related documents from the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), he said the organization did not provide them.

A probe committee has been formed to investigate the corruption claims in NPL, and its report is expected soon, he added.

Finally, the Minister emphasized his commitment to ensuring transparency in the NSC’s internal revenue and mentioned plans to systematically operate the National Anti-Doping Agency.