Nepal’s Men’s Kabaddi Team Heads to India for Training

Nepal’s men’s kabaddi team is set to travel to India’s Haryana state on Thursday to prepare for the 20th Asian Games in Japan.

The team, led by coach Vishnu Dutt Bhatt, will undergo a month-long training at the Sandeep Narwal Academy in Haryana. The squad consists of 12 players, including Ghanshyam Roka Magar, Anku Pun, Adit Chaudhary, Prakash Giri, Suraj Bohora, Sankar Kumar, Ravi Tharu, Ashok Joshi, Sagar Yadav, Kumar Lama, Ganesh Parki, and Karun Rasaili.

Preparations Underway

According to Arvind Kumar Jha, general secretary of the All Nepal Kabaddi Association, the team will also play practice matches against local teams in India. Jha added that if Chinese Taipei participates in the Asian Games, the Nepali team will travel to Thailand for further training.

The team will return to Nepal after completing their training in India and Thailand, before heading to Japan for the Asian Games, scheduled to take place from Ashar 3 to Ashar 18, 2083.

Past Participations

This will be Nepal’s fifth participation in the Asian Games. The men’s kabaddi team previously participated in the 1990 Asian Games in China, the 1994 Asian Games in Japan, the 1998 Asian Games in Thailand, and the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia.

The Nepali women’s kabaddi team will also participate in the 20th Asian Games, marking their second appearance in the tournament. The women’s team made their debut in the 19th Asian Games in China’s Hangzhou and won a historic bronze medal.

The team was bid farewell by the National Sports Council’s Vice President Vishal Shrestha and the All Nepal Kabaddi Association’s President Tulsi Thapa during a ceremony on Wednesday. Shrestha advised the players to prepare well and wished them good luck for the Asian Games.