For nearly three quarters of its South Asian Basketball (SABA) Championship match against Sri Lanka here on Sunday, Nepal was on course to pull off the biggest upset of the tournament. The Lankans eventually prevailed 76-68, but in the grand scheme of things, Nepal’s mere presence in the six-team event was a victory in itself.
The impact of the recent earthquake — which killed thousands in the country — was felt in the basketball fraternity as well. A few members of the men’s team had lost their homes, and the players rallied together to cope with the grief. The Dasarath Indoor Stadium, the primary basketball venue in Nepal, was badly damaged. This forced the team to train on makeshift outdoor courts, after a month-long break to accommodate relief efforts.
Bhawana Lama, a Nepal women’s international, lost her brother when her house collapsed. According to reports, her parents were rescued after being buried under the rubble for an hour.
Shortly after the tragedy, Bhawana was provided financial relief of 1,10,000 Nepalese rupees by the Nepal Basketball Association.
“The earthquake had a huge impact on all of us. It is a very sad situation. It is our strong will and love for basketball which has helped us overcome our personal tragedies and compete here,” said coach Dinesh Chandra Nakarmi, after the loss to Sri Lanka.
Considering the circumstances back home, his side did well to finish third in the championship.
“Physically, we were not fit. Due to the earthquake, we were not able to hold a long training camp. On top of that, all basketball facilities were damaged,” an emotional Nakarmi said.
The coach praised the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) for arranging sponsors to pay for the Nepal team’s travel to Bengaluru.
For captain Sadish Pradhan, skipping this tournament was not an option. “We could have stayed at home with our families, but that’s not what we wanted to do. We knew that this tournament would go on even if Nepal could not make it. As committed players, we understood that the show must go on. So, we were determined to participate and put up a good show here,” Pradhan said.
