Kathmandu, Nepal, May 18, 2020: Nepalese athletes have extended helping hands to feed the poor affected by the nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A number of athletes from various sports have come forward to generously contribute funds from their own wallet and also with the help of various individuals and organisations to feed the poor, especially daily-wage earners and contract-based workers.
Last Tuesday, May 12, Olympian Deepak Bista and fellow taekwondo athlete and wife Ayasha Shakya, a double gold medallist at the 13h South Asian Games, handed over 12 sacks of rice along with salt, oil, sugar, tea, noodles and biscuits to an orphanage in Baneshwor where 55 children are resident.
Another double gold medallist at the South Asian Games, karateka Manday Kaji Shrestha, distributed snacks and shoes to people walking along the Araniko Highway, and also went to two old-aged homes in Bhaktapur to give food to senior citizens.
Table tennis player Alina Maharjan used half of the prize money she received from the government for winning a bronze medal at last December’s South Asian Games – Rs. 200,000 (US$1,650) – to distribute relief materials for 200 families in the suburbs of Kathmandu.
The Cricket Players Association of Nepal donated Rs. 500,000 (US$4,126) to the relief fund set up by the government to fight COVID-19 while the Nepal Golf Association and the Royal Nepal Golf Club distributed relief materials to more than 80 caddies and staff.
Other athletes who have contributed generously include SAG gold medallist karateka Biplav Lal Shrestha, former kick boxing national champion Binod Maharjan, and members of the national cricket team and national football team.
Source: The Himalayan Times
