KATHMANDU, Sept 6: The Nepal Sports Journalists Forum (NSJF) has announced the nominations for four categories of the Pulsar Sports Awards 2024, with Cricket and Karate leading in individual selections.
At a press conference in Kathmandu on Saturday, NSJF unveiled five nominees each for Best Male, Best Female, Youth Player of the Year, and Coach of the Year. Cricket and Karate topped the list with four nominations apiece.
The five-member selection committee, chaired by NSJF Secretary Anil Malla Thakuri, shortlisted the athletes based on performances in 2024. Other members include AIPS Asia Treasurer Niranjan Rajbanshi, Prajit Shakya, Himesh Ratna Bajracharya, and Virat Rayamajhi.
From Cricket, national team players Dipendra Singh Airee and Kushal Bhurtel are nominated for Best Male, U19 women’s captain Puja Mahato for Youth, and U19 coach Mahesh Rijal for Coach of the Year.
Nominations announced for Pulsar Sports Awards
From Karate, Asian Games silver medallist Arika Gurung and Alisha Raskoti Magar are listed for Best Female, Anjali Maharjan for Youth, and coach Kushal Shrestha for Coach of the Year.
Kho Kho secured three nominations: Janak Chand (Best Male), Manmati Dhami (Best Female), and Lakshmi Narayan Baidhya (Coach). Boxing has two—Swostika Tiruwa (Youth) and Deepak Maharjan (Coach)—while Football also has two, with Rekha Paudel (Best Female) and Samir Tamang (Youth).
Other Best Male nominees include Shantoo Shrestha (Table Tennis) and Bijaya Sinjali (Wushu). National women’s volleyball libero Salina Shrestha joins the Best Female list, while Ajay BK (Athletics) is named in Youth category. In the Coach of the Year category, Para-Taekwondo coach Kabiraj Negi Lama rounds out the nominations.
Thakuri said the selection was difficult due to historic achievements and excellent results in the year 2081 BS by Nepali athletes. Committee member Shakya noted the awards are a long-awaited celebration of Nepali sports, while Rajbanshi confirmed that AIPS President Gianni Merlo will attend the ceremony.
The winners will be announced in Pokhara on September 14, with each receiving a Pulsar motorbike.
