By Catherine Sweet, International Relations Adviser at UK Sport
This has been a highly productive partnership for all the organisations. Nepal places at 149 out of 189 on the human development index (HDI) but it is a vibrant country, with young people looking to make their mark in the world and seizing opportunities to do just that, attributes that we’ve seen throughout the programme. It is a collective responsibility to challenge ourselves to see the world differently, to embrace different cultures and it is most definitely a positive if through this project we can impact on our own and other nation's athletes and coaches global understanding. We will continue working officially with Nepal until 2021 but I’m optimistic that this is just the beginning of something much longer term.
Andrew Deer, GB Taekwondo High Performance Coach, said: “It was amazing to see the Nepali athletes in action at the SAG. Being host nation has meant so much to all the members of the Nepal Taekwondo Association. It was humbling for the athletes and coaches to thank us for the work we have done with them.
“It was an honour to witness the pure joy and excitement as they were crowned South Asian Games Champion. Especially as it was on home soil in their own training complex in front of an electric home crowd.”