Open Basketball Tournament in Nakhipot to Begin This Sunday

The fifth Nakhipot Open Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament, organized in collaboration with Nakhipot Youth Club, is set to commence this Sunday. The organizers have confirmed participation from 18 men’s teams and 7 women’s teams so far. The tournament will be held under the primary sponsorship of Lalitpur Metropolitan City Ward No. 14, with the final match scheduled for Jestha 30.

Indrajit Limbu, president of the organizing club, announced at a press conference on Wednesday that team registrations will remain open until Friday, allowing for additional entries. The men’s competition will follow a knockout format, while the women’s teams will compete under a league-cum-knockout system. The defending champions are Nepal Army in the men’s category and Mountain Movers in the women’s category.

Each team is permitted to contract up to three foreign players, although only two may play on the court simultaneously. Vinod Shrestha, club member and tournament coordinator, confirmed that since both participating teams are from Dharan, ‘John and The Local Band’ and ‘Dharan Team’ have secured their spots. This marks the first time teams from outside the Kathmandu Valley are participating.

The men’s champion will receive a cash prize of NPR 100,000, with the runner-up awarded NPR 50,000. In the women’s category, the first-place team will earn NPR 50,000, while the second-place team will get NPR 25,000. The ‘Most Valuable Player’ in the men’s bracket will be awarded NPR 20,000, and NPR 15,000 in the women’s category. Emerging male and female players will each receive NPR 10,000 in cash prizes. Sujan Rai, treasurer of the organizing club, announced that approximately NPR 1.5 million will be spent to run the tournament.