SAF Games’ future hinges on SAARC Summit’s success

By Purushottam Kattel

KATHMANDU, Dec 25 – A pall of gloom had descended over Nepali sportsmen and women when the 9th South Asian Federation (SAF) Games were postponed. South Asia’s biggest biannual sports event, earlier scheduled to take place in Islamabad on October 9-15 were called off, owing to security concerns in Pakistan in the wake of September 11 terror attacks and the United States’ military campaign in neighbouring Afghanistan.

That led the National Sports Council (NSC) to call off all the closed camp training and send back players.

The Games organising committee, however, showing firm determination not to let the event get away from their hand, on October 7 proposed a new date for the Games – March 30 to April 8, 2002.

As the year 2001 inches close to its dusk, the players are anxiously awaiting to resume their training as much as the dawn of new year, recalling vows from country’s sports administrators.

Member-secretary of NSC, Binod Shankar Palikhe, while informing the players the Games’ postponement on September 24, had said: "Due to the Royal tragedy we failed to carry out a full-fledged training for the SAF Games. We’ve got to prepare at least 100 days ahead of the Games if we are to live up to our medal hopes.

He had further assured, "NSC will make sure the players’ training begins well in advance once the new dates are fixed."

But players and coaches are still waiting those words to materialise. Karate coach Hira Singh Dangol says that their Central Dojo is waiting passively to carryout the training due to the problems of Dashrath Stadium regarding security concern.

With the state of emergency in place, the air of uncertainty surrounds the council when the Games’ proposed date is less than 100 days away.

"Nobody can say whether the SAF Games will take place or not, in this situation," Palikhe shakes his head. "We are not even in a position to invest huge amount of budget on the players for the preparation of that Games, whose future itself is in doubt."

NSC had spent over Rs 14.12 million on the training of the Nepali team before it called off the closed camps.

However, president of Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) Rukma Shamsher Rana is positive on Pakistan successfully holding the SAF Games. "Unless there is any issue between the two countries, I don’t think the event will be washed up," Rana said.

"I have held talks with the Pakistani party," he added, "and I found them very keen to hold the Games."

Talking about NOC’s role on the preparations, Rana said that the committee had already invited all the concerned associations to submit proposals for small projects enabling them to go for proper training. "Now we are waiting those associations to bid."

As for now the sports authorities, like everyone else, are setting their eyes on the upcoming 11th SAARC Summit in the capital from January 4-6. "If the SAARC Summit shows green light to the Games, we will certainly set up the training," Palikhe said. "Once we have that, we won’t have to worry at all since our team selection is already complete."

Kurseong to meet Dharan in semis

Post Report

DHARAN, Dec 25 – The visiting United Kurseong FC of Darjeeling defeated British Gorkha by 2-1 here Tuesday to advance into the last four of the fourth Budha Subba Gold Cup football tournament.

Kurseong will take on the local club Dharan Red in the second semifinal on Thursday.

The last quarterfinal match did not go well for British Gorkha right from the start. They looked a shadow of the team that defeated Pokhara Eleven 3-2 in Friday’s quarterfinal. Pasang Tamang was cautioned by the man in charge as early as in the 6th minute and more disaster struck the team two minutes later as they squandered a penalty.

Nepali national team defender Narayan Manandhar ballooned his spot kick over the crossbar much to the dismay of spectators.

United Kurseong, who replaced the absent Bhutanese side at the last moment looked better of the two sides throughout the match. They effectively combined brisk pace, ability to make counterattacks and formidable defense with well-employed man-to-man marking made life difficult for the opposition.

As the teams wrestled to gain control over each other, the referee had to point to the spot more than once. In the 30th minute, United Kurseong were awarded a penalty, and Dinkar Chhetri successfully converted it into goal to go 1-0 up.

The goal completely unsettled the British Gorkha players, who found in deeper trouble, letting in one more two minutes later. United Kurseong earned a freekick just on the edge of the 18-yard box and William Pradhan’s firmly struck shot sailed through the defensive wall into the goal to go with a healthy 2-0 lead into the half time.

British Gorkha showed some elements of vigour early in the second session, going close to scoring on couple of occasions only to spurn them both. Raju Bohara’s powerful flagkick in the 52nd was brilliantly blocked away by Kurseong ‘keeper Rajiv Lakhantri. And a sure looking goal was wasted away when Sagar Subedi’s 81st minute shot from close ricocheted off the crossbar.

Their tireless effort paid off eventually when they exploited a rare defensive lapse of Kurseong slotted home towards the last moments of the match to narrow the deficit to 2-1. Kurseong ‘keeper Lakhantri and three other defenders completely misread a Sagar Subedi cross that he unleashed from the edge of penalty area after coming up half the field. And Bishnu Sunar rammed home the opportunity with a full-blooded shot which kissed the inside-edge of the near post before crossing the line.

Last year’s finalist Mahendra Police Club take on Friends’ Club in the tournament’s first semifinal on Wednesday.