KATHMANDU, March 8 – At the 19th NSJF Pulsar Sports Awards held on Tuesday, Anjan Bista, a member of the Nepal Men’s National Football Team, was awarded Sportsman of the Year in the men’s category. The Nepal Sports Journalists Forum (NSJF) organized the event and Bista received the award in recognition of his significant contributions to the 13th South Asian Games. Nominees for the award were cricketer Kushal Bhurtel and Deependra Singh Airee, footballer Kiran Chemjong and badminton player Prince Dahal.
Aruna Shahi, a volleyball player, won the Female Sportsperson of the Year award, while Manish Dangi was declared the Youth Sportsperson of the Year. Former National Soccer coach, Abdul Almutairi, was honored with the Best Coach of the Year award. Olympian Raghuraj Onta received the Lifetime Achievements Award, while Dan Bahadur Tamang and Maya Devi Moktan received the special award. Qatari journalist Mohammad Hiji received the Asian Sports Journalist Award for his profound contributions to sports journalism over more than three decades.
The winners of Men’s and Women’s Sportsman of the Year, People’s Choice, Best Coach and Best Youth Sportsman received a motorcycle, while winners of other categories each received Rs 50,000. Volleyball player Usha Bhandari won the People’s Choice Award by defeating contenders including footballer Anjan Bista, cricketer Aasif Sheikh, tennis player Avilasha Bista and swimmer Dubana Lama.
Overall, the 19th NSJF Pulsar Sports Awards recognized the significant contributions made by athletes and coaches at various sporting events held throughout the year.
