KATHMANDU: Internal conflict has marred the National Athletics Association (NAA) at a time when the fever of the upcoming 13th South Asian Games (SAG) has already gripped the Nepali sports.

With hardly 74 days to go, the National Sports Council (NSC) and the Ministry of Youths and Sports are these days, into a hectic schedule for the preparations of the biennial multi-sport event. The SAG is taking place from December 1 in Kathmandu and Pokhara.

Meanwhile, the NAA is under fire for not bringing any programs for the preparation of the mega event. Former office bearers have been accusing the incumbent president of the NAA Rajeev Bikram Shah of taking decisions unilaterally.

They were disenchanted with Shah after he picked Pitambar Timsina, vice chairman of the Nepal Sports Council (NSC), as the representative of the Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC).

Shah is alleged to have picked Timsina as a NOC representative without their consultation, failed to give a full shape to the working committee, and deprived athletes of Olympic scholarship.

Misuse of power

Timsina has been already elected as the deputy general secretary of the NOC despite the row that is still underway in the NAA.

Defending his decision, Shah asserts that Timsina’s appointment will ensure athletics’ strong participation in the Olympics. Shah was himself preparing to join the Olympics as a representative prior to sending Timsina. “We have no objections on the decision to pick Timsina as a representative but the process was wrong. He should have called a board meeting to officially appoint him as a member of the NAA before sending him as a NOC representative,” said Raghu Wanta, former president of the NAA and a marathon coach.

Shah is alleged to have picked Timsina as a NOC representative without their consultation, failed to give a full shape to the working committee, and deprived athletes of Olympic scholarship.

However, Shah is not ready to buy these allegations. Justifying his decision, Shah said,” I have to effectively run the association for four years. We have to produce not only the players but also coaches and umpires, too, to promote the sports field. We need help from the government to accomplish these objectives. That is why I appointed a person close to the government.” I have picked Timsina expecting that his participation in the NOC would be helpful for the NAA, too, added, Shah.

Two players — a male and female – have been deprived of NOC scholarship this year. The NOC in October last year had sent an E-mail to the NAA seeking a recommendation of name-list of two players for Olympic scholarship. These quotas were canceled after Shah did not recommend the name-list.

However, Shah has denied any kind of E-mail from the NOC. “The relationship between the NAA and NOC has sourced, of late. The appointment of Timsina will patch up the relationship between the two organizations,” said Shah.

The NOC arbitrarily picked some players and coaches undergoing training for the 13th SAG without consultation with the NAA, alleged Wanta, adding, “The players have been deprived of important opportunities including NOC scholarship due to the arrogance of President Shah and NOC.”

Five months on, NAA yet to get full shape

Shah, who was re-elected as the president of the NAA for the second term in the first week of April in Chitwan, has not been able to give the working committee a full shape. Currently, the NAA has 10 members including the president. Seven more office-bearers — four vice-chairmen, general secretary, treasurer and secretary — are yet to be appointed.

“The failure to fill in the vacant posts of the working committee for five months questions the efficiency of the leadership,” said Wanta. He further charged that the NAA has not come up with any plans and programs for the ongoing training of the 13th SAG.