Kathmandu, April 4 -- Table tennis player Santoo Shrestha and karateka Arika Gurung were honoured as the year's best of the best male and female players, respectively, at the 20th NNIPA Sports Award in Banepa, Kavre, on Friday.

The Nepal National and International Players Association (NNIPA) organised the award ceremony on the premises of Chandeshwari Temple in Banepa Municipality. It was the first time in its 20 editions that the NNIPA Sports Award was hosted outside the Kathmandu valley.

The recipients of different awards were selected based on their performance in the Nepali Year 2081BS (mid-April 2024 to mid-April 2025).

Shrestha had won the South Asian Qualification and progressed to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Similarly, Gurung had...