There is a proverb in Nepali, 'Don't be afraid of happiness, don't be afraid of sadness.' Table tennis player Sikka Suwal Shrestha says that this is exactly applicable in the field of sports. Having played many national and international competitions, she does not think that she will win just once.

 "Staying at the top is quite a challenge," she says, "because there is very little room to stay in that position." 

He has the experience of reaching the final 8 times in one year and losing. She adds, 'At that time, I thought I would never play tennis again. However, after a week, I wanted to play again. It is very difficult for a player to get motivated by saying that he will play again tomorrow after losing.

Losing and winning are natural consequences for players, but it is Shrestha's experience that winning is even more difficult. "When I lose, I think I will do better tomorrow. But there is a fear of not being able to keep that position in Jit," she says. 

Pradeep Khadka, who has been Nepal's 'number one' player in long tennis for the last three and a half years, did not care much about Jithar when he started playing tennis. Once he won a competition and went home (Pokhara). Everyone congratulated in Toltol, the news was printed. Seeing him at home, his mother cried with joy. At that time, he felt like he had done a great job. He then won 14 titles in a row. He says that it is very difficult for a good player to maintain a 'position'. 

Sikka, who is doing her Masters in Sports Science from Tribhuvan University, feels bored when she sees Nepal's sports field. She says, "Every day there are news of players going abroad. The news of the players going abroad also puts pressure on me from home. There are many talented siblings in the school where I train. They are worried about how they can arrange the environment to play for the country.'

She adds, 'The government should arrange the environment for the players to live in the country. Some time ago, there was a debate in the Indian parliament building that there were not good results in the Olympics. We only have fights in the parliament building, there is no debate on how to take the sports field forward.' 

Juniors table tennis player Ivana Thapa says, "Senior players should give a chance to the juniors as well." If there is no improvement in the sports sector, she feels that the government has not invested enough in the game. She adds, "Even the place to play in Nepal is not good. The National Hall had to be good. Until now, there was no light, water was leaking from the ceiling. I used to fear that the roof would fall down. Seeing the state of the country, Pradeep doesn't want to play.

says, "I played as many as 20 tournaments representing Nepal, but now I don't want to play." What do you get by playing with the family? Apart from trophies, medals and certificates. I don't even have a place to keep a trophy at home.'

Tennis is the second most expensive sport in the world. There is a common perception that tennis is a sport played by elite families. Pradeep says, "Government is also played by the rich, why should we encourage them?" Media coverage is also reduced. As a result, the players do not get exposure.

The coach has to be paid 90,000 per month just to learn tennis. Hiring a good coach costs 3,000 per hour. It costs 1 thousand rupees. 3 balls per day during training. Training should be done by spending around 6 thousand rupees daily. Pradeep adds, "It's difficult for a street-level player like me to play a rich man's game." No sponsor. How many days can you play with your investment?'

'Nepal is failing in all sports in terms of physical infrastructure,' says Sikka, 'There is a sports minister who has no knowledge about sports. How can they advance the field of sports because they have no knowledge about sports. It is only when you are called youth and sports minister, when you become a minister, you become a minister.' They say, 'Today there is a minister, we tell him all the problems, we look for solutions, but the next time we go, the minister has already changed.'

In Ivana's understanding, it seems that Nepalese players do not get results as they say, but they get to participate in many international competitions. She says, 'When I go to play at the international level, I find a lot of difference between there and here. Because the players there are more experienced, they have a certain confidence. We have to wait for years to play an international tournament. They are playing 10/15 games in a year. Our level and theirs are not a match.'