Nepal’s Premier Skateboarding Talents Set for National Championship Showdown at Yama Buddha Skatepark
By Sachit Subba • Other Sports • Jun 08, 2026 16:34 PM • 21 views
KATHMANDU — Nepal's top skateboarders are heading to the capital. The Nepal Skating and Skateboarding Association (NSSA) has announced the 9th National Skateboarding Championship. The two-day event will be held at Yama Buddha Skatepark in Hadigaun, Kathmandu, on June 13 and 14 (Jestha 30-31). The competition serves as both a national contest and a qualifying event for continental events.
More than just a national trophy is at stake. This year's championship is very important. NSSA General Secretary Satya Thapa said the tournament will strongly affect the selection trials for the coming 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Top riders like Gajendra Bardewa, Sharad Kumar Rai, Basanta Rai, and Khushi BK are already on the first long list. This national event will finally decide the last two skaters who will represent the Himalayan nation on Asia's biggest sporting stage.
The NSSA expects about 400 riders who have earned their spots through tough local and regional qualifiers, along with some individual wildcard entries signed up online. The competition will have 250 men and 150 women in different age groups. Senior winners in both groups will get a top prize of NPR 30,000, while the junior winners will compete for a top prize of NPR 15,000. Besides these prizes, the federation will also choose the "Skateboarder of the Year" to honour the rider who made the biggest impact in the series.
Operating on a budget of NPR 2.1 million backed by corporate partners, the NSSA is providing full accommodation and hospitality for out-of-town athletes travelling to the capital. The competition structure is designed to reward both consistency and raw, high-risk creativity under the freestyle discipline. Day one will push the massive field through intense qualifying heats, while day two will see the finalists throw down in two distinct formats: "Best Run," a timed showcase testing flow and technical consistency, and "Best Trick," a high-octane jam session where riders attempt their most complex manoeuvres on specific obstacles.
Since registering with the National Sports Council in 2014, the NSSA has successfully transformed skateboarding from a niche subculture into an organised national sport. By systematically rotating past national championships through rising urban sports hubs like Biratnagar, Butwal, and Pokhara, the federation has laid a robust foundation. This weekend's showdown at Yama Buddha Skatepark represents the culmination of that decade-long effort, capturing a sport on the absolute precipice of its historic Asian Games breakthrough.
