Kathmandu, June 24: Sharad Chandra Shaha Memorial Foundation (SCSMF) organized a function to honor sportsmen who contributed to the sports sector. The function organized coinciding the late Shaha’s birth anniversary on June 23, honoured sportsmen from the old generation as well as the newcomers. Besides, two sportspersons were decorated with the 'SCSMF Sports Awards 2024'. This year, famous Olympian Baikunth Manandhar is decorated with 'SCSMF Sports Award 2024'. He competed in four consecutive Olympic Games from 1976 to 1988. Another 'SCMF Sports Award 2024' has been awarded to Olympian Arika Gurung, a rising star in the field of sports.  She is known for her remarkable performance in Asian and international sports (martial arts, karate, and recently she also won a historic silver medal at the 19th Asian Games in China. Each of the two awardees bagged 250 thousand rupees. Sharad Chandra Shaha Memorial Foundation was established by his family on November 30, 2020 in memory of the late Sharad Chandra Shaha. The late Shaha is known as a key change-maker in Nepali sports history. He served as the Vice President of the Olympic Council of Asia and the Asian Olympic Council. He was the first Nepali to serve in these positions. Shaha himself was the person who started the national sports in Nepal and introduced the Olympic movement. He was the member secretary of the National Sports Council from 2034 BS to 2045 BS and the president of the Nepal Olympic Committee. He was also the planner of Nepal's national competition and South Asian Games. The main objective of the Foundation is to provide encouragement, assistance, recognition and honor to individuals and organizations who have contributed in any way to the sports development activities of the nation. In the program chaired by Renu Shaha, chairman of the Foundation, former deputy prime minister and chairman of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal, Kamal Thapa, shed light on the contribution made by the late Shaha. Thapa said that he worked together with Shaha for 38 years and said that Shaha was a luminary in the field of sports. Thapa, also a sportsman, said that the late Shaha was a multidimensional personality, who also made remarkable contributions in the field of literature. Bishnugopal Shrestha informed about the award, whereas, Mihika Shaha, secretary of the Foundation delivered a welcome address.    People’s News Monitoring Service.