Speaker Mahara sees need of linking Pokhara’s tourism with sports

Pokhara, Oct 26,,   Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara has said Pokhara has potentiality of being developed into an international hub of sports and tourism.
While inaugurating the Pokhara Premier League (PPL), a professional cricket competition, organised by the Queen’s Event Management Pvt Ltd here today, the Speaker said tourism of Pokhara, the site blessed with abundant natural beauty, could be linked to sports.
He was of the view that if a sports event of international level could be organised here every year, it would obviously help further spread the message about the elegant beauty of the area and other aspects associated with it in the international arena.
“Nepal lies in between two giant nations–China and India–and Pokhara is capable of serving as a means of connecting the two neighbours,” the Speaker said. Healthy competition would produce healthy human resources, he said, wishing for the success of teams taking part in the event.
Gandaki province chief minister Prithvi Subba Gurung stressed that Pokhara which is rich in natural beauty could be developed into a capital of sports. He was of the opinion of developing infrastructure suitable for holding sports competitions of international standard. Efforts from athletes and private sector could lead the sports sector to a new height.
Provincial Assembly member Rajiv Pahari expressed hope that the natural beauty of Pokhara would attract the sports lovers from home and abroad while another provincial assembly member Deepak Koirala said the PPL will also help boost economic activities in Pokhara.
Managing director of Queens Events Pvt. Ltd. Chhumbi Lama said the PPL was the cricket tournament with the highest prize money among all the cricket leagues held in Nepal. He added that the infrastructure for the League had been prepared since three months targeting the PPL.
The winner team of the League will bag Rs 2.7 million and the first runner-up team one million rupees.
The Namaste Premium Lager Beer is the title sponsor of the PPL which is powered by the Grand Master XXX Rum. The players declared the ‘Man of the Series’, the ‘Best Batsman’ and the ‘Best Bowler’ will each get a Suzuki Zigser 155 CC motorbike on behalf the VG Automobiles. The winners will also get gift hampers towards individual categories.
The player adjudged the ‘Reliance Supertech Cement Man of the Match’ in every match will get Rs 10 thousand and gift hampers worth Rs 5,000 from the sponsors (Ekstep, Subisu, etc.).
Similarly, the winning team of each game under PPL will go away home with a cash award of Rs 15,500 as ‘Reliance Cement Winning Bonus’.
Biratnagar Titans and Pokhara Paltan will meet in today’s inaugural match. Six teams, namely Biratnagar Titans, Pokhara Paltan, Chitwan Rhinos, Kathmandu Royals, Butwal Blaster and Expert Dhangadhi, are participating in the PPL.
A parapet with a seating capacity for 4,500 persons has been constructed for the event.