Keshav Pathak/Pokhara Sports/ An outdoor handball mat set supported by the International Handball Federation (IHF) has arrived in Nepal.
IHF has provided an outdoor handball mat for the development of handball in Nepal. The mat, which was supposed to be handed over to Nepal about three years ago, arrived in Nepal only this Saturday. The handball mat will be fixed at the outdoor handball court at Pokhara Stadium.
It has taken more than 18 months for the handball mats of Gerflor Company of France to arrive in Nepal. President of the Nepal Handball Association Tej Bahadur Gurung has expressed happiness over the achievement of international level handball mat by the Nepal Handball Association 40 years after its establishment. He said, “We have finally received this handball mat after a long time’s effort, the task was very challenging, the process was not as easy as everyone thought it was going to be.” He added, “We have not only spent a lot of time in the process but we have also faced a lot of hassles.”
Gurung, who is also the Member Secretary of the Sports Council Gandaki Province, expressed his gratitude to the IHF Honorable President Dr. Hassan Mustafa and IHF team, Government of Nepal, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Finance, Government of Gandaki Provice, National Sports Council, National Sports Council members Subash Shrestha and Sampanna Shrestha, Acting President of NHA Ram Krishna KC, Treasurer Mitharam Adhikari and the Nepal Handball Association family. President Gurung also has given special thanks to Hansa Logistics and Sunit Baidhya importer of the mat.
The Gandaki state government had provided Rs. 1 million to bring the handball mat to Nepal. However, it has cost more than Rs 1.5 million to import the mat to Nepal including customs duty.
The mat will be placed on the handball court constructed at Pokhara Stadium for about two years and it will be very convenient for the Ninth National Games to be held in Gandaki, said President Gurung.
