Kathmandu: Sports journalists Anjan Khadka and Laxmi Shakya were felicitated with the Best Sports Journalist Award by the National Sports Council (NSC) on the occasion of its 62nd anniversary in Kathmandu on Friday.

Khadka, news coordinator of kheladi.com and general secretary of the Nepal Sports Journalists Forum, and Shakya, assistant editor of merokhel.com, each received certificates of appreciation along with a purse of Rs 20,000.

The national men’s and women’s Kho Kho teams were recognized as Best Teams after winning silver medals at the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup in India and in the Nepal–India Test Series. Both teams received trophies and cash prizes of Rs 100,000 each.

In addition to the kho kho teams, two junior athletes, one para-athlete, 10 NSC employees, one sports association, one sponsor, and one local body were also honored.

In the junior category, boxer Arpil Rana and cricketer Puja Mahato were awarded Rs 50,000 each. Rana claimed bronze medals at the Asian U-22 Youth Boxing Championship in Thailand and the Asian U-19 Boxing Championship in Sri Lanka. Mahato scored 272 runs and took 10 wickets during the Women’s World Cup Asian Qualifiers, where she was named Player of the Series.

In the para-athlete category, taekwondo star Palesha Goverdhan was awarded Rs 50,000. She scripted history by winning a bronze medal at the Paris Paralympics and another bronze at the 10th Asian Para Taekwondo Championships in Malaysia.

The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) was honored as Best National Sports Association with a cash prize of Rs 100,000, while Nepalaya International Pvt. Ltd. was named Best Sponsor. Bagmati Rural Municipality, Makwanpur was recognized as the Best Local Body.

Among NSC employees, Deputy Senior Administrative Officer Phanindra Prasad Poudel (Administration) and taekwondo coach Bhimlal BK (Dang District Sports Development Committee) received the Best Council Service Award, along with Rs 25,000 each. Similarly, Prabha Karmacharya (Administration) and taekwondo coach Tulsinand Bajracharya (Lalitpur District Sports Development Committee) received Rs 15,000 each under the same category.

Administrative Officer Babukaji Shrestha (Lalitpur District Sports Development Committee) and Deputy Senior Athletics Coach Ushakarn Chaudhary (Training Department) were also recognized with the Council Service Award.

Under the Contract Service Award, assistant karate coaches Sanghratna Maharjan and Kushal Shrestha, along with Deepika KC (Administration) and office assistant Durga Thapa, were honored with Rs 10,000 each.

The awards were presented by Minister for Youth and Sports and NSC Chairperson Tejulal Chaudhary, along with NSC Vice-Chairperson Dhruba Acharya, Member Secretary Tanka Lal Ghising, and other dignitaries.