Women volleyball grabs the nation's attention

Though volleyball has been declared as the national game, it has been not taken as popular as football and cricket in Nepal. In the male-dominated sports, the women's volleyball has not been even imagined it would be any better when the men's national volleyball has not been producing good results. 

But the recent success of Nepali women volleyball team has proved otherwise. It is as popular as football and cricket in the nation and it can pull as many spectators when they play well. The crowd it has drawn during the women's volleyball in the 13th South Asian Games is the evidence of that. 

The home fans thronging to the covered hall of National Sports Council, to see Nepali women team playing the semi-final, final and other round matches showed that it is high time that Nepal's sporting governing body start serious investment in the making big facility and covered hall for volleyball alone. 

Moreover, the back to back success in the international arena from women's volleyball team also proved the nation's sports authority, who denied them of Asian Games participation saying it was waste of money to invest on them as they would not win any medal, wrong. 

Though they lost the final against India in a drama-filled finale of the 13th SAG Volleyball, they won the hearts of fans. Nepali women player gave their all before going down fighting 17-25, 25-23, 25-21, 21-25 and 6-15 against India in a five-set thriller. 

Nepali eves were close to another historic gold for Nepal but they failed to capitalize the lead and went down to adversary India in the last two sets. Nepal, who went down to mighty India in straight sets in the group stage, settled for a silver medal, which is also the historic medal for women's volleyball team in the SAG. Nepal had won only three bronze medals at the SAG in 1999, 2006 and 2016.

One month before the SAG, Nepali women team wrote their name in the history of national volleyball with gold by winning a maiden international trophy. They won the AVC Asian Central Zone Senior Women's Volleyball Championship held in Mirpur, Bangladesh on November. They did not drop a single set throughout the tourney to win the historic gold medal for home. In all the matches, Nepal yielded the identical 3-0 victory over their opponent the Maldives, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and Bangladesh. 

The women's team also had claimed the silver medal in the South Asian Invitational Championship held on home court in 2014. The men's team has bagged only one medal, a bronze in the third edition of AVC Asian Central Zone Senior men's Volleyball Championship held in the Maldives last year. 

However, the journey of Nepali women's team in the 13th SAG has been full of excitement. They opened the match with a straight-set victory over Bangladesh. Buoyed with the opening win, the hopes were high of Nepal in the second group stage match. 
But India defeated Nepal in straight three sets. Though Nepal secured semi-final spot finishing runners up in the group, the hope of reaching final was low as previous records against Sri Lanka was not so favourable. But urged on by home fans and strong perseverance of players and coach helped Nepal earns a three sets victory in the last four. 

Besides, Aruna Shahi also had memorable captain's innings after pounding Nepali women volleyball team to crest in the rain. Under her debut captainship, Nepal bagged a first-ever international gold medal and succeed to win SAG silver medal. 

Everyone was surprised when Nepal Volleyball Association appointed Shahi as the skipper. Association dropped regular captain Binita Budhathoki and Deputy Manju Gurung for the AVC tournament in Bangladesh. 

Moreover, the women team was also provided with a new coach. Giving priority Association appointed Jagdish Bhatta, coach of men's volleyball, to look after women's volleyball. Though disappointed for being unable to win the so close match against India, Coach was all in praise of the team. 

"There was a time when Nepal could not collect more than 15 points against India and could win over Sri Lanka. India and Sri Lanka used to overlook us but the performance in the SAG had forced them not to underestimate Nepal," said Coach Bhatta after a loss in SAG final. 

Spiker duo Pratibha Mali and Saraswoti Chaudhary also earned the praise with their brilliant performance. When Nepal won the Central Zone tourney, Mali was adjudged best player while her performance in the SAG helped Nepal collect points from every possible angle. Chaudhary, who sustained an injury during the Central Zone, gave her best in the SAG volleyball. 

Kudos also go to the Volleyball Association and National Sports Council who gave more importance to the women's team and provided them with foreign training and put them in close camp more than other sports disciplines taking part in the SAG. 

Tapping the momentum, the related sports authority now would not hesitate from giving high priority to the national game of Nepal. Looking at the attention the women's volleyball grabbed, let's hope the sports authority would be thinking twice while giving low priority in the investment of women's sport.