A hundred days on, Nepal’s sports minister has little to show

Education and Sports Minister Sasmit Pokharel recently released a public account of his ministry’s work over its first hundred days. In that account, the minister even counted the CAVA Women’s National League, an event organised by the Nepal Volleyball Association, at which he had simply appeared as a guest, as one of his ministry’s achievements.

Minister Pokharel, who has repeatedly faced accusations of failing to prioritise sports, listed just 8 of his 42 stated accomplishments under sports. Among these “achievements”, he counted the CAVA league and the annual President’s Running Shield, which runs every year regardless of the ministry’s involvement.