By Sachit Subba • Off-Field • Aug 30, 2026 09:30 AM • 457 views
The Nepal Sports Journalists Forum has announced the official list of candidates for the 23rd NSJF Pulsar Sports Award 2082. This award recognises the country's finest athletic achievements both at home and abroad, with the main ceremony taking place on Bhadra 15, 2083, in Kathmandu. The competition will be in five main categories.
The Player Selection Committee of the Nepal Sports Journalists Forum (NSJF) revealed the nominees' names at an event held on Sunday. In the 23rd presentation of the award, five candidates were named in each of the categories for Male Player of the Year, Female Player of the Year, Youth Player of the Year, and Coach of the Year. Anil Malla Thakuri, Secretary of the NSJF and Coordinator of the Player Selection Committee, said international performances and results in 2082 B.S. were the main criteria for the selections. The other members of the selection committee are Niranjan Rajbanshi, the Treasurer of AIPS Asia; senior journalist Himesh Ratna Bajracharya; Prajit Shakya; and Birat Jung Rayamajhi.
The Male Player of the Year award is given to five athletes from various sports disciplines. Chandra Thapa gained a place by winning a bronze medal and $75,000 in prize money at Nepal's first appearance at the AIBA Men's World Boxing Championship. Som Bahadur Kumal was included after winning two gold medals at the South Asian Senior Athletics Championships and setting the national marathon record in Shenzhen. Pradip Baijali Magar was added to the list having won double gold in both the individual and team kumite events at the championships in Sri Lanka. Cricket all-rounder Dipendra Singh Airee was recognised for scoring 662 runs and taking 15 wickets, one of which was an unbeaten 50 against Scotland. The fifth member of the group was Sadbhav Acharya, who won a medal at the Asian Junior Golf Championship and two gold medals at the 12th Nepal International Amateur Golf Championship.
The Female Player of the Year award is given to five talented athletes. Erika Gurung obtained her position by winning gold at the South Asian Karate Championship, the Turkish Istanbul Open, and the Malaysia Open. Sabitra Bhandari was included after scoring hat tricks in the Asian Cup qualifiers and the European league, along with three goals for Western United in Australia. Sanumaya Thing became one of the five by winning team kata gold in Sri Lanka and qualifying for the World Karate Championship in Egypt. Santoshi Shrestha earned her place by setting national records in the 5,000 metres, the 10,000 metres, and the marathon. The group's fifth member, Sabina Shrestha, won two gold medals at the South Asian Championship and reached the quarterfinals of the World Championship in Paris.
The names on the ballot for Youth Player of the Year are boxer Arpil Rana, Rehan Javed and Manisha Kumari Bohora, who are world junior karate gold medalists, chess player Purushottam Silwal, and cricketer Raunak Srivastav, who scored 217 runs against Gandaki in the Under-19 National Championship. The candidates in this category represent boxing, karate, chess, and cricket.
The Coach of the Year award features boxing trainer Deepak Maharjan; karate instructors Kushal Shrestha and Monday Kaji Shrestha; cricket coach Stuart Law; and Puran Singh Khatri, the women's visually impaired cricket coach. The candidates in this category come from boxing, karate, and cricket.
The recipients of the People's Choice Award are Sher Malla, a cricketer; Rabindra Dhant, a mixed martial artist; Mina Sunar, a volleyball player; Puja Rana, a footballer; and Sanumaya Thing, a karateka. In this category, votes are cast via the Khalti platform, making up 50% of the total votes, and the other 50% come from votes on Facebook by the general public, association head coaches, and sports journalists. The winner in this category will receive a Bajaj Pulsar motorcycle, while winners in all other categories will each receive 100,000 rupees.
