By a Staff Reporter
Kathmandu – The Nepal National and International Players Association (NNIPA) felicitated 26 athletes with the NNIPA Sports Award 2078 in Kathmandu on Monday.
The award ceremony honored the best players from 26 out of 27 sports affiliated with the Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC), as recommended by their respective associations. However, the Nepal Taekwondo Association did not provide the names of their players, resulting in no Taekwondo player being recognized. The athletes who were felicitated each received Nrs. 10,000.
The felicitated players are:
| Player’s Name | Sport |
| Emayung Rai | Archery |
| Deepak Adhikari | Athletics |
| Prince Dahal | Badminton |
| Anusha Malla | Basketball |
| Sushma Tamang | Boxing |
| Nisma Shrestha | Cycling |
| Omkar Singh | Fencing |
| Anjila Tumbapo Subba | Football |
| Sadbhav Acharya | Golf |
| Satya Narayan Manandhar | Gymnastic |
| Bishal Nepali | Handball |
| Kamala Chand | Hockey |
| Sanjit Dangol | Judo |
| Ghana Shyam Roka Magar | Kabaddi |
| Chanchala Danuwar | Karate |
| Mohan Rana | Rafting & Canoeing |
| Sushmita Nepal | Shooting |
| Sangita Lama | Ski |
| Alexander Shah | Swimming |
| Sikka Suwal Shrestha | Table Tennis |
| Rohit Rana | Tennis |
| Shrebi Maharjan | Triathlon |
| Salina Shrestha | Volleyball |
| Bishal Singh Bista | Weightlifting |
| Sushila Chand | Wrestling |
| Sushmita Tamang | Wushu |
Likewise, Anjila Tumbapo Subba of Football was named the NNIPA Best Player of the Year in the Women’s section, while Prince Dahal was awarded the NNIPA Best Player of the Year in the Men’s section. Both received NRs. 1,00,000.
Similarly, Sadbhav Acharya of Golf and Chanchala Danuwar of Karate were chosen as the Emerging Players of the Year and were awarded NRs. 50,000 each.
Moreover, Subheksha Khatiwada received the Best Para Athlete Award, Khadga Bahadur Ranabhat received the Gajraj Adarsh Sports Personality Award, and Dhruva Tuladhar of Kantipur daily was given the NNIPA Sports Journalist Award. The Para Award winner received NRs. 15,000, the Gajraj Adarsh Khel Personality Award winner received NRs. 35,000, and the sports journalism award winner received NRs. 25,000.
The athletes were awarded by various officials, including the member-secretary of the National Sports Council (NSC) Tanklal Ghising, ex-member-secretary of NSC and president of Nepal Karate Federation Yuvraj Lama, NNIPA President Deepak Shrestha, Honorary President of the association Deepak Bista, presidents and officials of various associations, and others.
