High altitude sports training center yet to become a reality

Gandaki: Construction of high-altitude sports training centres in Mustang and Baglung remains stalled, many years since they were announced.

The two big sports infrastructure projects were put forward by the federal and provincial governments. The Gandaki provincial government announced the establishment of a training centre in Waragung Muktichettra Rural Municipality of Mustang in the financial year 2075-76. In the same year, the government allocated a budget of Rs 10 million for the technical study and detailed project report of the project.

Head of the Youth and Sports Division of the Ministry of Social Development and Health of the province, Ghanshyam Poudel, however, said that the delay in land acquisition has slowed down the project. “Only after the land is managed, the infrastructure construction work will proceed,” he said.

Meanwhile, Hari Bhujel, Head of Land Revenue Office Mustang, said the land has been ascertained and the survey has just been completed and will take some time to complete the land acquisition process.
The Chairperson of Waragung Muktichettra Rural Municipality, Ringjing Namgel Gurung, expressed the hope that the provincial government will proceed with the project now that the process of land acquisition has started.

Similarly, the plan to build a high-altitude sports training centre at Dhorpatan in Baglung remained incomplete for years. The Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Sports Council under the federal government carried out a feasibility study for the project in 2075 BS.

Former president of the District Sports Development Committee, Baglung, Dhan Bahadur Pariyar, said that laws related to forest and wildlife have become a hindrance in acquiring the right of ownership of the land required for the project. The land sought for the sports training centre falls within the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve.

Head of the Western Regional Sports Development Committee, Lakshman Prasad Yogi, said Dhorpatan is a suitable and promising place for a high-altitude sports venue and the country can gain economic benefits by combining sports and tourism.

According to sports experts high altitude training centres for sports practice can help sportspersons to excel in their respective fields of sport. Athletes who practice at high altitudes with less oxygen can perform better in places with more oxygen.

Sports experts also say that a high-altitude sports training centre can be built at an altitude of 2,500 to 4,000 meters in Nepal. In the policy and program of the financial year 2077-78, the federal government also announced the establishment of a high-altitude sports training centre, which is yet to come into place.