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Sports in Nepal comprise both traditional Nepalese and modern international games. Even though there is no exact data, Football, cricket and volleyball are most popular sports in Nepal. [1] [2] [3] On 23 May 2017, volleyball was also declared as national sport of Nepal. [4] Before 2017, traditional games like dandi biyo and kabbadi were considered as the de facto national games.
The Nepal Olympic Committee and the National Sports Council hosts the National Games of Nepal every two or three years. The event is meant to identify talent for the South Asian Games, Asian Games and Olympic Games as well as develop sporting infrastructure throughout the country. The National Games have been held eight times with the first event being held in 1982 at Kathmandu.
Nepal first competed in the summer Olympics at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and has competed in eleven straight summer Olympics starting from the 1972 Munich Olympics. Nepal has also competed in four winter Olympic events first competing in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and last competed in the event at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. As of 2018, Nepal has not won a medal in any of the Olympic events.
Nepal competed at first Asian Games in 1951 at New Delhi and won its first medal at the event in the 1986 Seoul Games, winning 8 bronze medals. As of 2018, Nepal has won 2 silver medals and 22 bronze medals at the event.
Nepal has competed in every edition of the South Asian Games and has hosted the event in 1984, 1999 and 2019. As of 2019, Nepal is the fourth-most successful country, winning 679 medals winning 130 gold medals, 182 silver medals and 367 bronze medals.
Football (also known as soccer) is one of the most popular sports in Nepal. The All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) is the governing body of Nepalese football that organizes the men's and women's national teams.
Football was introduced to Nepal during the Rana regime in the 1921. [5] Since its introduction play was mostly limited to the Kathmandu Valley but since the turn of the millennium more tournaments have started to be organized throughout the country. The Martyr's Memorial A-Division League is the premier football league in Nepal and has been organized since 1955.
The Nepal national team was organized in 1972 after being affiliated to FIFA in 1971 and lost to China in their first official match. Nepal regularly participates in tournaments organized by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and was the winner of the 2016 AFC Solidarity Cup.
Cricket is the most popular sport in Nepal. [6] It rapidly grew popularity in the mid 2010s, following the slight successes of the Nepalese cricket team as well as the country's explosive rise in social media and television viewing influence from neighboring country India.
The Nepal national cricket team is controlled by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) which was founded in 1946. [7] CAN became a member of the National Sports Council in 1961 and was awarded affiliate status by the International Cricket Council in 1988 and since 1996 has been recognized as an associate member. [8] Nepal has been successful in regional events organized by the Asian Cricket Council, placing first in the ACC Fast Track Countries Tournament in 2006/07 and sharing the title with the United Arab Emirates in the 2012 ACC Trophy Elite. The women's team made their debut in 2007 and has qualified for the Women's Asia Cup in 2012 and 2016. [7]
Nepal qualified for the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 which was the only appearance by the senior men's team at a major ICC event, which also gave them Twenty20 International (T20I) until 2015. [9] The national under-19 team has qualified for the Under-19 Cricket World Cup seven times including winning the Plate Championship in 2006. Recently Nepal has qualified and played in the ICC World Twenty20 2024.
Nepal claimed One Day International (ODI) status for the first time with their six wicket win over Papua New Guinea in the 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier play off encounter on 15 March 2018. [10] [11] The men and women's team both currently have T20I status as a result of an ICC decision to expand the status to all member nations. [12]
Volleyball was declared the national sport of Nepal on 23 May 2017. [4] The Nepal Volleyball Association (NVA) is the governing body of volleyball in Nepal and organizes the men's and women's national teams. Nepal competes in tournaments organized by the Central Asian Zonal Volleyball Association which operates under the Asian Volleyball Confederation.
As in many other countries, women's volleyball is more popular than men's. [13] it is played in all 77 district which means all part of nepal
Gaurika Singh participated at the 2016 Summer Olympics, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as the youngest Olympian, representing Nepal in the Women's 100m backstroke.
The following is a list of international sports events held in Nepal:
Sport | National Team | Association |
---|---|---|
Badminton | (M & W) | NBA |
Baseball | (M & W) | NBSA |
Cricket | (M, W) | CAN |
Field hockey | (M, W) | HI |
Basketball | (M, W) | NeBA |
Volleyball | (M, W) | NVA |
Handball | (M, W) | NHA |
Football | (M, W) | ANFA |
Futsal | (M) | ANFA |
Rugby Union | (M) | NRA |
Franchise League
Sport | Domestic League | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Men | Teams | Women | Teams | |
Cricket | Prime Minister One Day Cup | 10 | Prime Minister Women's T20 Cup | 8 |
Nepal Premier League (NPL) [14] | 8 | Lalitpur Mayors Cup | 5 | |
Football | Nepal Super League | 9 | ANFA Women's League | 10 |
A Division League | 14 | |||
B Division League | 14 | |||
C Division League | 14 | |||
Volleyball | PM Cup NVA Volleyball League | 8 | PM Cup NVA Volleyball League | 6 |
Everest Women's Volleyball League [15] | 6 | |||
Basketball | Nepal Basketball League | 8 | Nepal Women's Basketball League | 4 |
Futsal | 'A' Division National Futsal League | 10 | ||
Golf | Surya Nepal Premier Golf Championship | |||
Cycling | Nepalese National Championships | |||
Shooting | National Shooting Championship | |||
Field hockey | National Men's Hockey Tournament | _ | National Women's Hockey Tournament | _ |
Auatics | Nepal Aquatics Championship | |||
Rugby union | Nepal 15s Rugby League | _ | Rugby National Women's Tournament | _ |
Rugby 7S National Tournament | _ | |||
Kabaddi | Nepal Kabaddi League | 6 | _ | _ |
Sport in Ireland plays an important role in Irish society. The many sports played and followed in Ireland include Gaelic games, association football, horse racing, show jumping, greyhound racing, basketball, fishing, motorsport, boxing, tennis, hockey, golf, rowing, cricket, and rugby union.
Sport in New Zealand largely reflects the nation's colonial heritage, with some of the most popular sports being rugby union, rugby league, cricket, association football, basketball, horse racing and netball, which are primarily played in Commonwealth countries. New Zealand has enjoyed success in many sports, notably rugby union, rugby league, cricket, America's Cup sailing, world championship and Olympics events, and motorsport.
Cricket is an optional sport at the quadrennial Commonwealth Games. It first appeared at the 1998 Games, with a men's tournament seeing South Africa defeat Australia by 4 wickets in the final. Matches were played over 50 overs and had List A status rather than being full One Day Internationals.
Sports in Hong Kong are a significant part of its culture. Due to British influence going as far back as the late 19th century, Hong Kong had an earlier introduction to Western athletics compared than other Asia regions.
Women's cricket is the team sport of cricket when played by women. Its rules are almost identical to those in the game played by men, the main change being the use of a smaller ball. Women's cricket is beginning to be played at professional level in 11 of the 12 full members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), and is played worldwide, especially in Commonwealth nations.
Sport in Pakistan is a significant part of Pakistani culture. Cricket is the most popular sport in Pakistan. Football has also gained popularity in recent years, and is the second most popular sport in the country. Field hockey is the national sport, and was popular for several decades, with some of Pakistan's greatest sporting accomplishments having taken place in this sport, along with squash. Polo and traditional sports like kabaddi and other well-known games are also played.
Sport in Europe tends to be highly organized with many sports having professional leagues. The origins of many of the world's most popular sports today lie in the codification of many traditional games, especially in the United Kingdom. However, a paradoxical feature of European sport is the extent to which local, regional and national variations continue to exist, and even in some instances to predominate.
The Nepal women's national cricket team represents Nepal in international women's cricket. They made their international debut in the ACC Women's Tournament in Malaysia in July 2007. Nepal has been participating in various international tournaments since then.
Association football and basketball are the most popular sports in Asia. Cricket is the third most popular sport in Asia, and is most popular in South Asia. Other popular sports in Asia include baseball, badminton and table tennis among others. There are also some traditional sports that are popular in certain regions of Asia, such as the South Asian sports kabaddi and kho-kho, and sepak takraw in Southeast Asia. Top sporting nations/regions in Asia include China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, India, Iran, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Sport in Papua New Guinea is an important part of the national culture. Rugby league is the most popular sport in Papua New Guinea.
Association football is one of the most popular sports in Nepal. It is governed by the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA), which oversees the men's and women's national teams as well as club competitions. The present acting president of ANFA is Karma Kshiring Sherpa. The current top domestic league is the Martyr's Memorial A Division league. The Nepal national football team represents Nepal in all international competitions.
The team sport of Cricket became a medal sport at the 2010 Asian Games. The last time cricket featured in a major multi-sport event was at the 1998 Commonwealth Games held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The gold medal was won on that occasion by South Africa, who defeated Australia by 4 wickets in the final with New Zealand winning the bronze medal. At a general meeting of the Olympic Council of Asia, held in Kuwait on 17 April 2007, it was announced that cricket would be included as a medal sport in the 2010 Asian Games to be held in Guangzhou. Matches would be played on a Twenty20, 20-overs per side format.
India has a history of sports dating back to the Vedic period, with Western sports having been imported during British rule. Cricket is the most popular spectator sport; it generates the highest television viewership, with the Indian Premier League (IPL) being the most-followed league in the country. Football has also gained popularity, with the Indian Super League (ISL) being the highest level of domestic football, and the national team winning multiple gold medals at the Asian and South Asian Games. Additional football accomplishments include India having reached the Groupstage of the 1960 Olympics, qualified for the 1950 FIFA World Cup, and won the SAFF Championship. Other sports include kabaddi, badminton, tennis, and athletics, with kho-kho becoming the fourth-most viewed sport. India has also had success in field hockey, winning the World Cup and multiple medals in the Olympic Games. Sports such as golf, rugby, boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, motorsport, wrestling, and basketball are featured throughout the country.
Cricket in Nepal has gained popularity over the years and has become the country's one of the most popular and widely followed sport. It rapidly grew popularity in the mid 2010s, following the slight successes of the Nepalese cricket team as well as the country's explosive rise in social media and television viewing influence from neighboring country India. It is played by many people throughout the country, especially in the Terai region. The biggest cricketing achievement of the national cricket team was when the team reached the qualification tournament of 2014 ICC World T20 held in Bangladesh. Nepal's playing season runs from September to November and starts again in March before finishing in May. As of October 2023, there were 3400 senior cricket clubs and over 35000 registered players in Nepal.
The 2010 South Asian Games, officially the XI South Asian Games, was a major multi-sport event that took place from 29 January to 8 February 2010 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. This was the third time that the Bangladeshi capital hosted the South Asian Games, thus becoming the first city to hold the games three times.
Sport in Afghanistan is managed by the General Directorate of Olympics, Physical Education and Sports, currently headed by Ahmadullah Wasiq. Currently, cricket and association football (soccer) are the most popular sports in Afghanistan. The Afghan Sports Federation has promoted many types of sports, including basketball, bodybuilding, boxing, bowling, cricket, football, golf, mountaineering, paragliding, skating, skiing, snooker, taekwondo, track and field, volleyball, and weightlifting. The traditional sport of Afghanistan has been Buzkashi, which is now occasionally seen in the northern parts of the country.
Sport in Sri Lanka is a significant part of Sri Lankan culture. Although the Sports Ministry named volleyball the national sport, the most popular sport is Cricket. Rugby union is also popular. Other popular sports are water sports, badminton, athletics, football, basketball and tennis. Sri Lanka's schools and colleges regularly organize sports and athletics teams, competing on provincial and national levels.
Sport in Bangladesh is a popular form of entertainment as well as an essential part of Bangladeshi culture. Cricket is the most popular sport in Bangladesh followed by football. Kabaddi is the national sport of Bangladesh.
The Samoan women's national cricket team, nicknamed the Nafanua, represents the country of Samoa in international women's cricket. It is organised by the game's governing body in the country, the Samoa International Cricket Association (SICA).
The Uzbekistan national cricket team represents the nation of Uzbekistan in international cricket and administered by Cricket Federation of Uzbekistan. In July 2022, the International Cricket Council (ICC) inducted the team as an Associate Member, becoming the 25th member in the Asia region.