POKHARA: Minister for Youth and Sports Tejulal Chaudhary has emphasized that sports will play a key role in building a prosperous nation.
While inaugurating the Second Dragon Boat Race Festival at Phewatal in Pokhara, which began today under the joint sponsorship of the Gandaki Provincial Government, the Pokhara Metropolitan City, the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Nepal, and the Nepal Tourism Board, Minister Chaudhary expressed his belief that sports can foster unity and harmony between nations and communities.
Minister Chaudhary stated that the Dragon Boat Race Festival would help develop Pokhara’s sports and tourism sectors and strengthen the friendly relationship between the people of Nepal and China.
He highlighted that China is one of Nepal’s major tourism partners and expressed confidence that the event would contribute significantly to promoting and developing tourism in Nepal, particularly in Pokhara.
Pokhara Metropolitan City Mayor Dhanraj Acharya noted that Pokhara, being a tourism hub rich in natural beauty, art, and culture, has begun various activities aimed at tourism development under the concept of Greater Pokhara.
He stated that events like this Dragon Boat Race will help promote tourism in the city. Mayor Acharya also expressed hope that sports activities, including cross-country and dragon boat racing, would strengthen the ties between Nepal and China.
He further urged the Chinese government to consider operating direct flights from various Chinese cities to Pokhara, as 2025 will be celebrated as the “Year of Visiting Pokhara.”
Bindukumar Thapa, the Social Development Youth and Sports Minister of Gandaki Province, remarked that Pokhara holds great potential as a destination for sports tourism. He added that the Dragon Boat Race would help in positioning Pokhara as a prime location for sports tourism.
The second edition of the ‘Nepal-China Friendly Dragon Boat Race Festival’ will take place from today until Monday.
A total of 20 teams from Nepal, China, and Singapore are participating in the festival.
Eleven teams, including those from Gandaki, Bagmati, Karnali, Tribhuvan Army Club, Dragon Boat Gandaki, Begnas Team, Rupatal Team, and Nepal Association of Rafting Agencies (NARA), will compete in the event.
The organizers announced that the winners of the 500-meter and 200-meter races will each receive a prize of 5,000 US dollars, while the first runner-up will receive 2,000 US dollars, and the second runner-up will be awarded 1,200 US dollars.
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