The decision of the Ministry of Youth and Sports to start the preparation to form an ad hoc committee for the Nepal Olympic Committee has raised fresh debates in the Nepali sports sector.

Minister for Youth and Sports Teju Lal Chaudhary made the decision public at a press meet organised in Singha Durbar on Friday.

“The government sees the current Nepal Olympic Committee as illegal. All the activities they are doing are against the law of the land,” Chaudhary said. “We have started the process to form an ad hoc committee composed of representatives from the national sports associations and elect a legitimate executive committee based on a fresh mandate.”

Chaudhary added the ministry will send letters to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) again to inform them about the recent developments on the issue and seek their support in the process. He also said that the ministry’s decision had the backing of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.

Chaudhary argued that the ministry would follow the due procedures while forming the ad hoc committee, fully complying with the Olympic Charter.

The Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) got a new executive committee on December 28 last year, with Jeevan Ram Shrestha being re-elected as the president for a third term.

Shrestha amended the NOC statute to create a provision for the president to run for the post for a third term and conducted the election online, as the government had padlocked the NOC building in Satdobato, Lalitpur. The step, as per the government, was against the Patan High Court’s stay order and Supreme Court’s interim order.

However, Shrestha had insisted that the orders from the courts were not against the election. He has also been arguing that his new committee was accepted by the IOC and OCA.

The step then led to a tussle between Shrestha, Minister Chaudhary and National Sports Council’s (NSC) member-secretary Tanka Lal Ghising.

But despite the ministry and NSC stating that NOC’s move was illegal, no strict actions have been taken yet. The government has only frozen the NOC’s bank accounts and barred NOC officials from flying abroad for NOC-related activities.

“Shrestha is currently in China for activities other than those related to the NOC,” Minister Chaudhary said. “We have warned him not to participate in sports-related activities.”

Meanwhile, experts argue that the current tussle would only hamper Nepal’s sporting sector.

Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan, who was the president of NOC from 2006 to 2015, said that the government failed to intervene effectively when Shrestha amended the statute and conducted the election in December 2024.

“Nobody showed enough interest when the NOC statute was being amended,” said Pradhan, who is currently a member of the parliament from Nawalparasi West-2 constituency representing Rastriya Prajatantra Party.

“The IOC has already made its position clear over the new committee. However, it does not mean that it cannot change.”

The state and NOC should coordinate to find a proper solution to the issues, Pradhan said. “Even a layman can understand that the current problems are a result of the love for position, selfish interests and personal ego.”

He added, “If the problems prevail, it will damage the country’s image in the international community. The effects on athletes cannot be undermined at a time when the Asian Games and the Olympics are nearing.”

Meanwhile, Minister Chaudhary argued that the ad hoc committee would ensure that Nepal’s representation in the upcoming Asian Games in Japan would not be affected.

Chaudhar further informed that the investigation related to the Cricket Association of Nepal-organised Nepal Premier League was still on.

“The probe committee did not receive proper response and documents during the investigation,” Chaudhary said. “NPL is a prestigious tournament for the country, and the second edition will take place more extravagantly. However, the investigation is still on.”

Chaudhary also assured that the ministry would soon reveal a date for the 10th National Games.