The NSJF Pulsar Sports Award 2080 on Monday announced the nominees for four key categories—Male, Female, Youth Player, and Coach of the Year.

Nepal Sports Journalists Forum (NSJF) unveiled the nominees for the 21st edition of the awards during a press conference in Kathmandu. According to the Forum, five athletes and coaches have been shortlisted in each category.

For the Male Player of the Year, nominees include cricketers Dipendra Singh Airee and Rohit Paudel, karateka Mahammed Shekhu Alam, footballer Ananta Tamang, and golfer Subash Tamang whereas in the Female Player of the Year category, karateka Erika Gurung, footballer Sabitra Bhandari, cricketer Rubina Chhetri, athlete Santoshi Shrestha, and kabaddi player Menuka Rajbanshi have been nominated.

The nominees were selected based on their performances and results in national and international competitions during the Nepali calendar year 2080. The selection committee, led by NSJF General Secretary Prajwal Oli, includes seven members.

In the Youth Player of the Year category, the nominees are cricketer Arjun Kumal, weightlifter Hemant Pal, footballer Preeti Rai, table tennis player Sujan Gadal, and tennis player Sunira Thapa. For the Coach of the Year, nominees include para-taekwondo coach Kabiraj Negi Lama, karate coach Kushal Shrestha, cricket coach Monty Desai, kabaddi coach Parvati Rai, and weightlifting coach Sanjay Maharjan.

The award ceremony is scheduled for September 13 at the Nepal Academy Hall in Kamaladi. Oli, the head of the selection committee, mentioned that it was challenging to select the top five nominees due to the high calibre of athletes and coaches this year. He added that all the shortlisted candidates are winners in their own right.

At the nomination event, Emmanuel Fantaneno, a central member of the International Sports Press Association (AIPS), praised the importance of honouring athletes and extended his best wishes. Alongside the awards, NSJF will also host the Congress of the AIPS Asia.

The nominees for the People's Choice category were announced previously. Nominees include footballer Preeti Rai, kabaddi player Manmati Bista, volleyball player Kabita Bhatta, rugby player Shriram Shrestha, and cricketer Gulshan Jha. The winner will be determined based on eSewa voting, the votes of head coaches from 29 sports associations, NSJF members, and likes on the official Facebook pages of Pulsar Sports Award and Pulsar Nepal. The eSewa voting will remain open until midnight on September 12.

Other awards to be presented at the ceremony include the Para-Athlete Honour, Special Award, Lifetime Achievement Award, Team of the Year, and Asian Sports Journalist Award.

According to NSJF, winners in the Male, Female, Youth, and Coach categories will receive a Pulsar NS 200 motorbike, while the People's Choice winner will be awarded a Pulsar NS 400 motorbike. Other category winners will receive a cash prize of Rs100,000 each and a gift hamper.

Athletes Dipak Adhikari (male), Rajpura Pachhai (female), Dev Kumar Khanal (youth), and Athletics’ Chandra Bahadur Gurung (coach) and Sikka Suwal Shrestha (table tennis) were the winners in the respective category last year. Also, photojournalist Sudarshan Ranjit bagged the special award, Maiya Bisunkhe earned the para-athlete honour, Olympian and former weightlifter Rajendra Kumar Pradhan received the Lifetime Achievement award and Chinese sports journalist Cheu Chan Fai was feted with Asian Sports Journalist Award.

Pulsar Sports Award's main sponsor is Golchha Group’s Pulsar Motorcycle, marking the 16th year of their collaboration. Co-sponsors and supporters of the event include Surya Nepal Pvt. Ltd., eSewa, Kelme Nepal, United Ajod Insurance, Royal Singi Hotel, Plaza Group of Hotels, Imaging, New Horizon Carpet, Himalayan Hotel, Chandragiri Hills, National Sports Council (NSC), Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC), and Hotel Association Nepal (HAN).