The first phase of the national training camp for the postponed Asian Games 2022 will begin Wednesday, National Sports Council (NSC) said on Tuesday.

Nepal is participating in 23 events at the 19th Asiad to be held in Hangzhou, China. The Games were scheduled to be held from September 10 to 25 this year but the multi-sport event was postponed until 2023 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The new date for the Games is yet to be finalised.

“The first phase of special training will begin on June 8 and run until July 7,” NSC Member Secretary Tanka Lal Ghising said after inaugurating the training camp at the covered hall of the Dasharath Stadium. Ghising also handed over sports materials to the concerned sports coordinators on the occasion.

A total of 514 sportspersons, including 230 male and 284 female athletes, and 66 coaches are participating in the camp, which, according to Ghising, will also aim to prepare the Nepali athletes for the international events.

During the first phase, a general physical fitness test, skill related fitness test, medical test, physical examination, psychological test, nutrition assessment and sleep assessment test will be conducted on the participants.

The second phase of the training will run from July 8 to 11, which will be followed by an international evaluation of the athletes for the next three days.

A nation-wide selection of the athletes for the camp was concluded last month.

The camp will also prepare the athletes for the Ninth National Games, rescheduled for October 14 to 20, to be held in Gandaki Province.

Nepal is participating in taekwondo, karate, boxing, athletics, cycling, golf, wrestling, weightlifting, judo, swimming, triathlon, wushu, archery, basketball, fencing, shooting, table tennis, badminton, football, cricket, kabaddi, handball and volleyball at the Games.

Only female players will compete in football, kabaddi, handball and volleyball while the men's team will compete in Twenty20 cricket.

Nepal had participated in 29 games at the 18th Asian Games in Indonesia. The men’s paragliding team had won a silver medal in the 10-nation cross-country event.