Nepal’s top swimmers Ervin Shrestha, Medhavi KC and Nirnay Thapa have accused the Nepal Swimming Association of bias in the selection of athletes for the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.

The swimmers organised a press conference in Kathmandu on Tuesday and blamed the association for changing a pre-qualification event into the main qualifier.

The controversy dates back to May 21, when the Nepal Swimming Association issued a notice stating that the third Nepal Aquatics Championship will work as a pre-qualification event for the Asian Games.

“The championship [taking place on June 6 and 7] is mandatory for athletes in order to advance to the Final Selection Round,” the notice read.

The final selection was slated for the end of June, where eight male and eight female swimmers from each stroke in the tournament will compete for four places—two male and two female—in the Asian main event.

However, after more than half of the swimmers had performed, the pre-qualification event was, without any prior notice, turned into the main qualification. “Furthermore, the qualification did not see the use of available technology,” Ervin said in the press conference. “Electronic touchpads were not used in the heats on the opening day, and officials relied on handheld stopwatches to record times.”

The NSA, on June 7, issued a notice and informed that the qualification event had to be changed after the National Sports Council (NSC), on June 5, had ordered to provide the final list of swimmers representing Nepal in the Asian Games within five days.

The swimmers claimed that the notice announcing the change was issued on the morning of June 7 without an official signature or stamp and was circulated through social media while the championship was still underway.

Ervin argued that the association was making illogical arguments, as there was still ample time to submit the final list of athletes to the organisers of the Asian Games.

“The rules were clear from the beginning,” Ervin said. “We prepared for the competition based on those criteria. In the end, our hard work went in vain.”

Ervin added, “The association violated the very criteria it had set itself. Athletes are expected to follow every rule and regulation, but the governing body has ignored its own selection process.”

The swimmers have demanded an independent investigation into the matter and have taken the dispute to the Supreme Court. According to them, the court has summoned the Nepal Swimming Association, the National Sports Council and the Nepal Olympic Committee to provide written responses and has scheduled a hearing for Wednesday.

National swimmer Medhavi KC, who was also present at the press conference, said the athletes were not protesting against those who had been selected but against what they described as an unfair process.

“Whoever gets selected is our teammate,” KC said. “Our only demand is that the selection be conducted according to the pre-announced criteria and in a transparent manner.”

Swimming coach Megh Lama echoed the concerns, saying frequent changes in schedules and delayed notices affected athletes’ preparation and performance.

Meanwhile, the NSA has refuted the accusations, calling them baseless.

“Ervin is one of our best swimmers. We even helped him to get the Olympic Scholarship of USD1,125 monthly,” Jagat Man Shrestha, president of NSA, told the Post. “But the current accusations are baseless. He came second after being bested by Aviv Pradhan and was not selected. I know he feels frustrated, but we are firm on the players selected for the Asian Games.”

Jagat Man informed that Pradhan and Jaden Shrestha have been selected for the Asian Games in the male category. “Duana Lama and Aarya Maharjan are the female swimmers who will represent Nepal in the Asian Games,” he added.

Jagat Man said the association would defend its decision before the court.

“We have all the documents and evidence to show that the qualification process was transparent and fair,” he said. “We are not worried.”

The dispute is now set to move from the pool to the courtroom, with the Supreme Court scheduled to hear the case on Wednesday.