National Sports Council (NSC) Member Secretary Ramcharitra Mehta and Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) President Jeevan Ram Shrestha have said that Nepali players will play in the Asian Games without pressure.

At the 'Nepal in Asian: Game Road to Aichi' Nagoya' dialogue program organized by the Nepal Sports Journalists Forum (NSJF) on Thursday on the occasion of World Sports Journalists Day (July 2), both of them said that initiatives are being taken to create an environment where Nepali players can play without pressure.

Member Secretary Mehta had pointed out that there are controversies in Nepali sports and mentioned that they are currently being kept in a bag. He said, 'There are controversies, but there is no dispute in the participation in the Asian Games. I have kept those controversies in a bag for now.' His argument was to send the players for foreign training soon and focus on medals.

Recalling that disputes between the NSC and the NOC in the past affected major competitions, he said that this caused the players to play the Asian Games with a weak mentality. The announcements made by the heads of the two main bodies are expected to encourage participation in the Asian Games.  

In the dialogue program, Mehta and Chairman Shrestha also said that the amendment of the National Sports Development Act 2077 is necessary for a long-term solution to Nepali sports. Mehta also said that the process of amending the act will move forward soon. He said, "There is a problem in the act itself. To solve it, the act should be amended or a new act should be made, preparations are underway."

Similarly, NOC Chairman Shrestha pointed out that not only the Sports Act but also the regulations need to be amended. He said that the issue of changing the regulations according to individual interests should be discouraged.

Member-Secretary Mehta also informed that Nepal is going to participate in 23 sports this year in the Asian Games with 140 people. He also informed that the government has allocated a budget of Rs. 28 million for the preparation of the Asian Games and has allocated an additional Rs. 112 million for participation.

They said that they are committed to fulfilling the government's goal of winning double-digit medals including gold in the Asian Games and are now preparing to send players for foreign training from next month.

For the first time in the history of Nepali sports, the National Olympic Committee (NOC) had started the Mission 2026 plan for the Nagoya Asian Games almost four years ago, focusing on the Nagoya Olympics. 99 players from 11 sports are receiving training in it.

NOC President Shrestha said that the registration of players for the Asian Games is underway in coordination with the National Olympic Committee (NOC).

They said that players from 5 sports with the goal of winning medals in the Asian Games and participating in the Olympics have been provided with IOC scholarships of Rs 50,000 per month.

Similarly, they said that unnecessary crowds of people will not be sent to the Asian Games like in the past, unrelated people will not be seen in the Asian Games and everyone's attention will be focused on the medals of the players.

Karate player Erica Gurung, who won silver in the Hangzhou Asian Games, reminded that the external environment always discourages players when they go to play in a big competition like the Asian Games, and said that players should be free from it.

While sharing her experience, Erica said, "This is what many people say about winning. The competition has already weakened the morale of the players by making them come to the Asian Games. But the current situation is different. After winning a medal in the Asian Games, the players have been training for a whole year, starting with Mission 2026. That is why not only me, but other players are expecting to do better in the Japan Asian Games."