Craze of volleyball among Lakecitians, parapets overcrowded

3,400 tickets sold in finale

eAdarsha.com Reporter
Feb 21, 2021
Darsak-1

Dhan Bdr. Gurung, Pokhara, Feb 21: The pressure to win was on the one hand, the spectator (audience) shooting on the other. It was the final match of  volleyball tournament between Gandaki Province against Tribhuvan Army. After winning 2-2 set, the final set came to 14-11. Amidst the pressure, the spectators were overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle on the winning shot. When the ball fell out of the court touching hands of an Army player, Gandaki Province won the finale. At that time, the spectators seemed happier than the players.

It was an exciting scene  on last Saturday- the final match of the first Tiger Cup volleyball tournament.  Hari Pandey, who is the captain of Gandaki Province, says that he won the game with the love of he audience.  Pandey, who could not perform fast in 4 sets of the final, says that the hustle and bustle of the spectators in the final gave him courage. He commented that the encouragement of the spectators played a big role in winning the competition.

“The pressure of the game was on the one hand, and on the other hand, I was wondering if the love of the spectators would be wasted,” he says.

He said that more spectators came to Pokhara Stadium on Saturday than expected. “I’ve been playing in a lot of places, that’s why I played in front of so many spectators,” he said.

Gandaki Province team coach Ramesh KC says that the spectator hooting is important even if the game is won according to the good performance of the players.  He is also happy with the remarkable attendance of spectators in the competition held in the state after the Corona epidemic.

He said that the passion for national game, volleyball has been increasing lately. He said that the love of the spectators would make the players in the villages more enthusiastic about the game.

Even though the parapet is full during the football tournament in Pokhara, this time the game of volleyball has attracted the spectators well.  Not only from Pokhara, but also people from neighboring districts were seen.

According to Ticket Management Committee Coordinator Bishnu Gurung, 3,400 spectators bought the tickets and watched the final game of Tiger Cup. About 4,000 spectators watched the game in the final, said Prakash Baral, general secretary of Tiger Group. He said that artificial parapets have been prepared for 500 seating capacities. There are 2,500-seat capacity parapets in the court. He said that both the parapets were full and the spectators sat on the floor and watched.

Laxman Yogi, head of the office of the Western Regional Sports Development Committee, says that the passion for volleyball has increased day by day in Gandaki. He said that the committee has also put forward a new plan keeping in mind the growing passion for volleyball.