Bikash Shield Deaf National Football From Sunday

For the first time deaf footballers will get the taste of Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu, the national stadium.

Eight teams, one each from 6 provinces and two from Bagmati, will vie for the National Deaf 11‑A Side Football Championship title that will be organized on February 8-9.

Sundar Dhoka Sathi Sewa, an organization working in the field of empowering people with disability, has made the dream of the deaf players to compete in the national stadium come true.

At a press conference today, executive director Bijata Luitel Adhikari said the tournament has been named after the founder of the organization Bikash Adhikari who had lost his life during the Covid pandemic four years ago.

According to of Adhikari, the competition is being organized with the aim of promoting disability sports.

The format, as explained by the technical committee, is very similar to normal football, except for the use of different coloured flags by the referee instead of regular whistle.

To ease communication, the referee will also be assisted by simultaneous sign language translators on the field.

The criteria for players include at least 55 decibels of hearing loss along with certified audiology report confirming hearing capacity.

The winner will pocket Rs. 50,000 along with the Bikash Shield while the organizers also announced numerous individual awards.