In honor and memory of the Late Sharad Chandra Shaha, the SCSMF Sports Award 2026 Presentation Ceremony was organized on 23 June 2026 at Hotel Royal Singi, Kamaladi, Kathmandu.

Umesh Maskey, veteran Olympian boxer, and manager of Nepalese boxing team, and Sandeep Lamichhane, star player of the Nepalese national men’s cricket team, have been honored with the SCSMF Sports Award 2026.

SCSMF (Sharad Chandra Shaha Memorial Foundation) was established in November 2020 by the family of the late Sharad Chandra Shaha to honor his legacy and to contribute for the development of Nepalese sports. Since 2024, SCSMF has been honoring one veteran and one emerging athlete who have made significant contributions to Nepalese sports. Maskey and Lamichhane each received a cash prize of NPR 250,000 along with the certificate of honor. As Lamichhane was abroad due to his cricket schedule, the award was collected by Kiran Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana, the secretary of Kathmandu District Cricket Federation. The awards were presented by Renu Shaha, wife of the late Shaha who is also the chairperson of the SCSMF.

The foundation had previously honored the contributions of marathon legend Baikuntha Manandhar and karate star Arika Gurung in 2024. Legendary footballer Raju Kaji Shakya and exemplary volleyball player Aruna Shahi were awarded in 2025. Apart from these yearly award programs, SCSMF had previously in cooperation with Sports for All Commission organized a photo exhibition titled The Dawn of a New Era in Nepal’s Sports. A launch ceremony of author Naveen Aryal’s book Nepali Khelkudko Britanta was also organized in 2023.

Umesh Maskey, the first Nepalese boxer to win an international medal, had made history by representing the nation at both the 1980 Moscow and the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. His career was highlighted by the gold medal victory at the International Boxing Championship in Sri Lanka in 1983. Following his retirement from competitive boxing, he continued to make significant contributions to the sport through the establishment of New Rising Sports Club and by serving as the manager and coordinator of Nepal’s boxing team at various international competitions. During his acceptance speech, Maskey praised Sharad Chandra Shaha’s unparalleled contributions to Nepalese sports

Sandeep Lamichhane had made the whole nation immensely proud by becoming one of the youngest players in a major global T20 league. He had previously assumed the role of the captain for the Nepalese men’s cricket team.  He has made significant contribution in the rise of the team in the international arena. He also recently made history by becoming the quickest bowler to reach 150 ODI wickets in 73 matches beating Mitchell Starc’s previous record of 77 matches. He also achieved the historic milestone of becoming the world’s second-fastest bowler to reach 100 T20I wickets, accomplishing the feat in just 54 matches. Lamichhane through a video message expressed happiness on receiving the award and praised the late Shaha’s contribution to the development of Nepalese sports.

During the ceremony, Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan, former President of Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) reflected on Shaha’s successful leadership of NOC and National Sports Council. He highlighted Shaha’s incomparable contributions for our sports adding that he will always be remembered for Nepal’s Olympic movement.

Highlights from the Event