By Anjan Khadka

Kathmandu, Nov. 24: All under-construction sports venues for the forthcoming 13th South Asian Games will get ready in due time to host the South Asia’s biggest multidisciplinary sports extravaganza, to be held from 1st to 10th December in Kathmandu, Pokhara and Janakpur.
The formal inauguration of the event is just 8 days away and all venues will complete within next three or four days, National Sports Council sources said.
The under construction main stadium, Dashrath Stadium, is about to be completed. About 80 per cent of the construction works of the 14000-plus capacity Nepal’s only international standard Stadium has completed.
The installation of seats at the general side parapet which contains around 10,000 seats has completed while the roof installation over the 4,000 capacity VVIP parapet will conclude within next three or four days. The fixation of seats in the VVIP parapet has also started.
Earlier, the Dashrath Stadium has a capacity of 25,000 spectators but the massive earthquake of April 25, 2015 had rattled it badly. The Nepali athletes regard this stadium as their home stadium and they are ready to perform here after a gap of five years.
The heat-controlled swimming pool at Satdobato, the Kirtipur Covered-Hall and Pokhara stadium are going to be ready within three to four days.
National Sports Council (NSC) member secretary Ramesh Kumar Silwal said that the NSC would host the 13th SAG in a grand manner at the lowest cost as compared to the cost spent to organise the last edition of SAG held at Guwahati and Shillong, India in 2016.
This is the third time Nepal is hosting the mega sporting event of South Asia. SAG was first held in Nepal in 1984. Nepal has also organised the 8th edition of the SAG for the second time in Kathmandu in 1999.
The under-construction Pokhara Stadium will be handed over to the sporting governing body NSC on 28th November, according to the contractor of the Pokhara Stadium Dipak Baral.
The Pokhara Stadium has a capacity of 20,000 but contractor Baral will make ready the stadium with around 10,000 capacity while the full capacity stadium will be readied after the event.
“90 per cent of the parapet has completed and around 5,000 seats have been installed at the stadium,” contractor Baral informed.
According to NSC engineer Arun Upadhaya, the construction of the swimming pool fitted with heating system at Satdobato, Lalitpur and Covered Hall in Kirtipur will finish within four days. “The swimming pool for SAG will complete on 27th of November and the remaining task of cleaning it will conclude ahead of the event,” engineer Upadhaya said.
NSC engineer Upadhaya informed that the main stadium will be ready after 5 days. “Installation of the roof will be finished within a four days and fixation of the seats in the VIP parapet will conclude within next 5 days,” NSC engineer Upadhaya added.
“The Kirtipur covered hall is almost finished,” the NSC engineer added.
President Bidhya Devi Bhandari will inaugurate the SAG games. The Nepalis sports authority is in the final preparation phase of the 13th SAG.
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli will be addressing the inauguration of the mega sports event. The opening ceremony of the SAG will start at 03:45:00. Artists from different sectors will perform cultural dances and songs.
A total seven nations from South Asia- host Nepal, Bhutan, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives will be participating at the event where 26 sports disciplines will be held. Nepal will field a total of 599 players who will take part in all 26 games.