OCA's Olympasia provides Nepal NOC with a home of its own

Kathmandu, Nepal, December 9, 2019: Home is where the heart is and, in the case of the Nepal Olympic Committee, that beating heart is the Nepal Olympic Building - an Olympasia project – the centre of operations for the 13th South Asian Games. The pride of the Nepal Olympic Committee in Satdobato, Lalitpur came about due to the initiative begun in 2001 by the Olympic Council of Asia, which, in its ongoing efforts to promote sport throughout the region, teamed up with Olympic Solidarity to create a project called Olympasia. “We wanted to provide sporting facilities for Asian countries, promoting sports and Olympic principles. In the case of Nepal, they said what they most needed was a place to house their National Olympic Committee, and we got behind them,” explained Nayaf Sraj, OCA financial officer. The Nepal Olympasia project began in 2013 and was completed a year later. The OCA’s contribution to such projects is US$100,000 but, in the case of Nepal, an extra US$100,000 was given to purchase furniture. Sujan Shrestha, executive secretary of Nepal Olympic Committee, takes up the story: “We used to be housed in a rented property. It was small and we didn’t have enough space for our needs let alone to provide facilities for others including the national federations. “We are very grateful for the Olympic Council of Asia who heard our call and backed us to the hilt. Without the OCA we would still be living in a cramped place instead of this three-storey building,” added Shrestha, who has been at the centre of the organisation for the South Asian Games which ends on Tuesday, December 10. Built on land leased from the government, the Nepal Olympic Committee headquarters has even withstood the force of an earthquake – the devastating act of nature which hit Kathmandu in 2015 killing nearly 9,000 people. The ground floor houses the Nepal Olympic Museum. There are rooms for the National Olympic Academy, the Medical Commission, the Women’s Commission and Sport for All Commission among others. National Federations can book space to hold conferences and seminars. They can even throw a party. “In the past, if we had to hold a big function, we would have to hire a hall in a hotel, which would be expensive. Now we, and all sports, can use these facilities,” Shrestha pointed out. The OCA has helped NOCs all over Asia, from Afghanistan to Vietnam. "In 2001, when we started, we helped the Maldives, Jordan and Yemen with projects. You get satisfaction when you visit these places and see what has been built,” says Nayaf as he takes in the Nepal NOC with pride. Jyoti Rana, Vice President of Nepal NOC and Chairperson of the National Women and Sports Commission, adds: “It is good for us to say we have our own home.”