The foundation stone has been laid for the long-awaited High Altitude Training Center (High Mountain Sports Training Center) at Loadchaur, Patarasi Rural Municipality–3, Jumla. The construction work has formally begun after the resolution of a long-standing land acquisition issue that had caused the project’s budget to be frozen for years.

It is claimed that this training center, to be built at an altitude of 2,850 meters above sea level, will be the seventh high altitude training center in the world.

At a special program held at Loadchaur, which is about an hour’s drive from the district headquarters Khalanga, the foundation stone for the center was jointly laid by central member of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and former Member of Parliament Binita Kathayat, Chief of the District Coordination Committee Gaurinand Acharya, Chairperson of Patarasi Rural Municipality Purnasingh Bohora, Vice Chairperson Janmaya Rokaya, and Chief of the Sports Development Committee Kavidatta Nyaupane.

According to Kavidatta Nyaupane, head of the District Sports Development Committee office, in the past, due to the lack of a sports ground, local athletes were forced to participate in various competitions without adequate practice. Now, with talented athletes able to train at a high level in Jumla itself, this will be significant for the district’s athletes, he said.

For a long time, even the budget committed by the Ministry of Sports could not be implemented due to the lack of land. However, after local residents of Patarasi Rural Municipality–3, Lothchaur—Lauro Bohora, Gorbahadur Bohora, and Kumbh Bohora—jointly provided 6,120 square meters of land free of charge, the project moved forward. Due to the lack of land, just last fiscal year, 56.6 million rupees were frozen, and even the 100 million rupees committed by then Sports Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha was withheld.

According to the Detailed Project Report (DPR), the total estimated cost of this prestigious project is 1.58 billion rupees. So far, 25 million rupees have been spent on leveling the ground and other works, and for the current fiscal year, the government has allocated 63 million rupees.

The center will feature 21 modern physical structures, including international-standard infrastructure for more than two dozen sports such as volleyball, football, karate, boxing, taekwondo, basketball, and athletics.

In addition, the goal is to build a complete sports complex with a state-of-the-art swimming pool, gender-friendly hostel, guest house, and security structures. With the acquisition of land, the way has been cleared for budget implementation, and Ward Chairperson of Patarasi–3 Govinda Rawat claimed that the Patarasi area of Jumla will now become an international hub for sports tourism and attract global attention. Until now, the area has been known for being the highest place in the world where Marsi rice is grown, Patarasi Himal, and Shankar Waterfall, but now, according to Ward Chairperson Rawat, its identity as an international sports village has also been added.