Pokhara: Pokhara Metropolitan City will be the promoter of the 22nd edition of the NSJF Pulsar Sports Award set to take place in Pokhara, Kaski, on September 14.

Sports Award organisers Nepal Sports Journalists Forum (NSJF) and Pokhara Metropolitan City inked the deal with the City declared as official promoter. NSJF President Niranjan Adhikari and Pokhara Mayor Dhanraj Acharya signed the deal.

This is the first time that the annual Sports Award is set to take place outside Kathmandu.

Speaking at the announcement ceremony, Mayor Acharya announced that the Metropolitan City will provide both financial and moral support to the event, which is being held in Pokhara to coincide with Visit Pokhara Year 2025.

“We are grateful to NSJF for selecting Pokhara as the venue for such a prestigious international award. We believe this will further enhance Pokhara’s branding,” said Mayor Acharya at the signing ceremony. “It is our responsibility to make this event successful. Organising it outside Kathmandu naturally increases costs, so while our financial support will be modest, our moral support will be unwavering.”

Highlighting that Pokhara has started hosting major events every week, Mayor Acharya emphasised his vision of making the city not just a tourism capital but also the capital of sports and sports tourism in Nepal.

He further noted that Pokhara regularly hosts major sporting events such as the National Games, South Asian Games, Aaha Rara Gold Cup, Pokhara Marathon, Dragon Boat Races and Paragliding among others. “The inclusion of the Pulsar Sports Award will add another major international event to that list,” he said.

NSJF President Adhikari said that their confidence and enthusiasm have grown significantly after Pokhara Metropolitan City agreed to take the role of promoter. He expressed gratitude to Mayor Acharya, the Metropolitan City and the people of Pokhara for their support. He also said that the event would significantly contribute to the promotion of Visit Pokhara Year 2025.

MB Astha Magar, the NSJF Gandaki president, said that participating in all aspects of organising the Award would offer valuable learning experiences that could be applied to future editions of the Gandaki Sports Award.

The award will honor athletes and sports professionals in 10 different categories including male player of the year, female player of the year, youth player of the year, coach of the year, peoples’ choice award, para-athlete honor, team of the year, special award, lifetime achievement award and Asian Sports Journalist award.

Winners in the male, female, youth, coach, and peoples’ choice categories will each get a Pulsar motorcycle, while winners in other categories will receive a cash prize of Rs100,000, according to NSJF General Secretary Anjan Khadka.