Nepal School Volleyball Commission (NSVC) has announced Under-18 and Under-16 National Boys and Girls volleyball tournaments later this year. 

It will be the first national level volleyball tournaments in the age groups to be organised by the Nepal Volleyball Association or any of its independent wing. According to NSVC, Under-18 National Men’s and Women’s Volleyball Championships will be held in Kathmandu from October 29 to November 4 and Under-16 Inter School Boys and Girls National Volleyball Tournaments will be held in March/April. 

The NSVC said it was also planning to organize U-19 Beach Volleyball under coordination of NVA, said its President Ram Bahadur KC during a press conference on Saturday. 

“We will also expand the district committees across the country with the view to promote volleyball and produce junior players. Soon after the completion of Under-16 and Under-18 tournaments, we will select best players and provide them with training so that they can get into the national fold in coming future,” said KC. 

NSVC Secretary Lokendra Bahadur Khadka further added that they were also planning to organise international tournaments or friendlies for U-16 and U-18 teams to uplift the standard of youth players. If the international friendlies go as per the NSVC planning, the body  will manage to bring in first ever international age group event in Nepali volleyball history. 

The programmes, according to NSVC, were announced with a view to popularise the game in country after it was declared national sport by the government a couple of month earlier. Volleyball, one of the most played games throughout the country, was declared the national sport by the Nepal government on May 22. 

NSVC, formed about half a year earlier, will hold its first annual general assembly on December 2. Meanwhile, NSVC felicitated men’s national team that won bronze in the AVC Central Zone Senior Men’s Volleyball Championship Qualifiers during the programme. 

The 15-member team including 12 players and three coaches were given Rs 3000 each. NVA President Manoranjan Raman Sharma, Vice Presidents Niroj Maskey and Ranjan Khadka among other feted the players. Nepal were led by Im Bahadur Rana, while Birenda Prasad Chaudhary and Jagadish Bhatta were the coaches. 

A 13-member Kathmandu District School Volleyball Commission was also announced on the same occasion under presidency of JB (Dipak) Adhikari. Rita Rai Dahal, Shiva Prasad Aryal and Pradip Shrestha are the vice president, secretary and treasurer respectively of the newly formed commission.