Bagmati bags most medals at 1st U-15 School Sports Tournament

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, June 15: Bagmati Province bagged the highest number of medals at the 1st U-15 School Sports Tournament organised jointly by the National Sports Council (NSC) and the Gandaki Province Sports Council at Pokhara Rangasala. 

The two-day tournament in six sports – athletics, badminton, rugby, table tennis, basketball and chess – concluded on Thursday. A total of 532 junior athletes from seven provinces participated in the tournament for 100 medals (30 gold, 30 silver and 40 bronze).

At the end of the first-ever national-level tournament for U-15 school children, Bagmati topped the medal tally with 24 medals (11 gold, six silver and seven bronze). With 19 medals each, Lumbini (six gold, three silver and 10 bronze) and Gandaki (five gold, eight silver and six bronze) followed Bagmati in the medal tally.

Similarly, prioritising the gold medals, Karnali and Koshi finished fourth and fifth respectively. Karnali’s athletes won nine medals in total (five gold, two silver and two bronze) while Koshi’s bagged 16 medals (one gold, seven silver and eight bronze). 

Meanwhile, with eight and five medals each, Sudurpashchim (one gold, two silver and five bronze) and Madhes (one gold, two silver and two bronze) finished sixth and seventh respectively. 

The athletes were competing for 14 gold, 14 silver and 14 bronze medals in athletics while five gold, five silver and 10 bronze medals each in table tennis and badminton. Likewise, there were two gold, two silver and two bronze medals each in rugby, chess and basketball. Based on sports events, Bagmati excelled in table tennis, chess, basketball and badminton while Gandaki and Karnali dominated athletics and rugby respectively. 

None of the provinces was denied a gold medal in athletics. However, Gandaki’s athletes reigned top with four gold medals. Gandaki won the gold in both boys’ and girls’ categories of 200-metre-race. While Bagmati clean-swept gold medals in table tennis and basketball, Karnali’s boys and girls won the two gold medals in rugby. Bagmati and Lumbini shared the gold equally in chess and badminton.

As it was the 1st U-15 School Sports Tournament organised in the country, NSC member-secretary Tanka Lal Ghising has stated to continue the tournament without failure citing, “Children are the foundation of sports. We should nurture them. A school-level national tournament is a great way to achieve and produce professional and capable athletes who can win international medals for the country.”