| 25 year old Jayaram Khadka has
become the first Nepalese athlete ever to qualify for the Winter Olympic
Games. He is scheduled to compete in the 10km Nordic Ski championship at
Soldier Hollow during the forthcoming games at Salt Lake City. The impoverished and war torn Himalayan kingdom, famous for its Gurkha soldiers and Mt. Everest, has no ski facilities. But Jay has been able to train under British team manager, Richard Morley, at the Nepal Ski Team base in Les Arcs, France. Two other Nepali skiers have recently begun training and the team hopes to make a stronger appearance at the 2006 Olympiad in Italy. The team is fully managed and sponsored by British company Grand Bois Ltd. Jay, now British resident, lives in Tunbridge Wells where he runs the Russell Hotel. Born in a Nepali mountain village, he was adopted at the age of 14 and brought to live at Clearwell Castle in Gloucestershire. A controversial decision to deport him by the last Conservative government led to a 7-year legal battle and considerable international media attention. But thousands of UK citizens protested and former Home Secretary Jack Straw reversed his predecessor's decision on his first day in office. FURTHER INFORMATION MAY BE FOUND AT: http://www.chezjayski.com/olympics |