Pokhara: The nominations for the prestigious NSJF Pulsar Sports Awards for the year 2081, including male, female, youth players, and coaches, have been made public today. The player selection committee of the Nepal Sports Journalists Forum (NSJF) has announced the nominees for the 22nd edition of the Sports Awards in four categories. The nominees include the top five in the categories of Male Player of the Year, Female Player of the Year, Youth Player of the Year, and Coach of the Year.
According to National News Agency Nepal, in the Male Player category, cricketers Dipendra Singh Airee and Kushal Bhurtel, wrestler Bijay Sinjali, table tennis player Shantu Shrestha, and Kho Kho player Janak Chand have been nominated. The women selected are Erika Gurung, footballer Rekha Paudel, Elisha Raskoti Magar, kho kho player Manmati Dhami, and volleyball player Salina Shrestha. A five-member selection committee chaired by the Secretary of the Forum, Anil Malla Thakuri, has selected the players and coaches.
The committee includes Niranjan Rajbanshi, Prajit Shakya, Himesharatna Bajracharaya, and Birat Rayamajhi. The Secretary of the Forum, Thakuri, informed that the nominations were made based on the success and outstanding performances achieved by players in national and international competitions in the year 2081. He mentioned that it was challenging to make nominations due to the historic success and significant results obtained by Nepali players in the year 2081, and the documentation of their achievements throughout the year also made the selection a bit easier.
For the youth player nominations, the athletes include Ajay BK from athletics, Anjali Maharjan from Karate, Pooja Mahato from cricket, Swastika from boxing, and Sameer Tamang from football. This year, the nominees for the trainers include Para Taekwondo’s Kabiraj Negi Lama, skilled Karate master Kushal Shrestha, boxer Deepak Maharjan, cricket’s Mahesh Rijal, and Kho Kho’s Lakshmi Narayan Baidya. The award distribution event will be held on September 14 in Pokhara.