Nepal Sports Summit 2026 takes place in Kathmandu; calls for investment

KATHMANDU: The Nepal Sports Summit 2026 was held in Kathmandu on Thursday. The event brought together diplomats, international delegates, corporate leaders, government officials and sports administrators in what organisers hailed as the country’s first structured platform for sports convergence.

Organisers said the summit aimed to position Nepal as a destination for sports tourism, strategic investment and international partnership, and to create a collaborative forum for stakeholders to explore commercial and developmental opportunities in the sector.

The summit featured discussions on investment frameworks, infrastructure needs and international collaboration, with participants exploring ways to turn Nepal’s natural and cultural assets into competitive advantages for sports-related tourism and events.

Gagan Thapa, chief guest and president of Nepali Congress party, urged urgent and comprehensive action to develop sports nationwide. He said previous administrations had failed to capitalise on the sector’s investment potential and called for robust policies and modern infrastructure to attract sustainable investment. Thapa also stressed that sports play a vital role in youth engagement and public health.

Bhaskar Rajkarnikar, the summit organiser, said sports have long been sidelined by government policy and that the sector’s modest progress has depended largely on the efforts of committed individuals. He argued that elevating sports to a national priority is necessary to unlock its potential as a driver of domestic and international investment.

To mark the occasion, Avenues Television launched a new dedicated sports channel, Avenues Sports, which the network said would broadcast a range of domestic and international sporting events.

Organisers described the gathering as a step towards building long-term partnerships between public and private actors and said follow-up initiatives will be needed to translate summit discussions into concrete policy and investment decisions.