The Nepal Olympic Committee has included 14 athletes under its scholarship scheme targeting the 2028 Summer Olympics, the 2026 Asian Games and the 2026 Summer Youth Olympics.

Out of the 14 athletes, eight each have been provided a scholarship worth USD1,125 per month to support their training for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. Similarly, five athletes training for the 2026 Asian Games in Japan will be provided Rs50,000 per month. A young athlete will also receive Rs50,000 a month for the preparation of the Summer Youth Olympics in Dakar, Senegal, from October 13 to November 13 next year.

“The eight athletes for the LA Olympics were selected based on their merit,” NOC President Jeevan Ram Shrestha said at a function in Kathmandu on Friday. “We requested national sports associations to recommend names of their best athletes who have the best chance to clinch medals at the event. We then forwarded it to Olympic Solidarity, who studied the names and accepted them for the scholarship programme.”

The eight athletes will receive the scholarship amount once every four months starting from September 1 this year till the LA Olympics.

Meanwhile, the remaining six athletes are receiving monthly Rs50,000 each through the NOC. “We have decided to provide scholarships for the athletes in the Asian Games and Youth Olympics by cutting our administrative costs,” Shrestha said. “If it is possible, we will include more athletes for scholarships in the coming days.”

The athletes will receive scholarships for the Asian Games and Youth Olympics starting January 1 next year till the conclusion of their respective events.

“We expect this support to help our athletes train better and realise their dreams of winning medals at the biggest stages,” said Rajiv Shrestha, secretary general at the NOC.

Eight athletes for LA28

Prince Dahal (Badminton)

Dahal is a former Olympian who participated in the 2024 Paris Olympics. He was a bronze medallist at the 2019 South Asian Games. A left-hander, Dahal won silver at the South Asia U21 Regional Championship and a gold medallist at the Dubai Junior International U19 Series in 2019. He had also won the title of the U15 Boy’s Singles at the Dubai Junior International Series in 2018. He is currently training in Malaysia.

Usha Khanal (Cycling)

Khanal could not arrive at the signing ceremony as she was busy at the National Mountain Bike Championship in Gokarneshwor on Friday. The champion of the 2023 National Championship in Downhill and XCO category, Khanal is a 2019 South Asian Games silver medallist. She is also a multiple-time winner of the Yak Attack MTB Race.

Sadbhav Acharya (Golf)

Acharya is a rising star in the Nepali golf scene. He is the first Nepali to win the Bangladesh Amateur Open in its 38th edition in January this year. He is also a double gold medallist at the Nepal Amateur Open. Nepal’s No 1 amateur golfer, Acharya, was also the champion at the U21 category of the Faldo Junior Tour European Grand Final last year.

Manita Shrestha Pradhan (Judo)

Pradhan won a silver medal each at the 12th South Asian Games in 2016 and the 13th edition in 2019. She also won a bronze medal at the Asian Cadet and Junior Judo Championship in 2017. Further, she was Nepal’s representative at the 2024 Paris Olympics, alongside in different Asian and World-level championships.

Evana Thapa (Table tennis)

Thapa is a dominant table tennis player of Nepal. She won two silver and two bronze medals at different categories of the South Asian Youth Table Tennis Championship in April this year. A semi-finalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics’ qualifier, Thapa believes that she will turn the tide this time. “I will not let down the country who has believed in me and provided me with this scholarship,” Thapa said at the function on Friday. “This scholarship will help me train better.”

Shivali Gurung (Tennis)

Gurung is a rising talent in the field of lawn tennis. Gurung, 14, was the youngest to receive the Olympic scholarship. Gurung is the first Nepali to rank fourth in Asia (U14 category). She has represented Nepal at the Billie Jean King Cup and was selected for the ITF/ATF European development team. She has also made history as the first Nepali to qualify for a Grand Slam—at the 2026 Australian Open.

Tenzing Bertin Rai (Sports climbing)

Rai was the champion of the 2025 National Sport Climbing Championship. Also known as Tintin by his friends, Rai has been deemed a great talent in the sport. He is a multiple-time winner at the Open Lead Climbing in 2024.

Ervin Shrestha (Swimming)

Shrestha is Nepal’s top-ranked swimmer. He has represented the country at the World Aquatics Championships (Senior and Junior) and the FINA World Short Course Championships. He was also part of the team that set a national record at the 4x100 metre freestyle relay during the BIMSTEC Championships in New Delhi, India, last year.

Six athletes for Asian Games

Tilak Pun Magar (Archery)

Hailing from Pokhara, Magar has represented Nepal in several international tournaments. He played at the Asian Games in 2018 and 2022. He also represented Nepal at the 2025 Asian Archery Championships in Dhaka. His career best ranking at the World Archery Ranking was 184th in April 2019. Magar currently ranks 336 in the world.

Chandra Bahadur Thapa (Boxing)

Thapa made history in Nepali boxing when he clinched a bronze at the 2025 IBA Men’s World Boxing Championships in the first week of December. It was Nepal’s first-ever medal in world boxing. Thapa is now expected to be a medal-winner for Nepal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Japan.

Arika Gurung (Karate)

Gurung, 21, has established herself as one of the most decorated Nepali athletes in karate. She was a silver medallist at the 2022 Asian Games. She also made history, winning Nepal’s first-ever medal—a bronze—at the Karate-1 Premier League in Rabat, Morocco. She also grabbed gold at the Australian Open Karate Championship in April this year.

Sanumaya Thing (Karate)

Thing is an aspiring talent in the kata category of karate. She is a two-time South Asian Karate champion and a gold medallist at the National Games. Thing also clinched bronze at the WSKF World Shito-Ryu Karate Championship in Indonesia in 2023.

Sushmita Tamang (Wushu)

Tamang is said to be a prodigy in wushu, having won medals at home and abroad since her school days. She is a four-time National Wushu Champion and a South Asian Games gold medallist. She secured a Top 8 position at the 17th World Wushu Championship in Brazil and is participating in the prestigious Taolu World Cup 2026 in China.

Athlete for 2026 Summer Youth Olympics

Rashmi Tamang (Wushu)

The NOC believes Tamang is a proud ambassador of Nepali martial arts. “Rashmi represents our country in the dynamic martial art of wushu,” the NOC stated. “She is a dedicated member of Nepal’s wushu team with years of disciplined training and a strong fighting spirit.”