How did this come to be?

It’s been 22 years since I got into fitness, so we at Jasmine Fitness have constantly been thinking about doing something fitting for the modern fitness trends in Nepal, from fitness promotions to anything health related at least 3-4 times a year. In the fitness world, the involvement of women has been extremely low even when the market has high business prospects. So talking in terms of fitness activities for women, there are a different practices like aerobics, yoga, and zumba but women haven’t been that motivated to undertake lifting. Being in this industry, it’s noticeable that women stay away from lifting because they think that they too will gain muscles the same way men do, that is not the case from a fitness point-of-view. Women can do light lifting, just like the men do, so thinking along the same vein, the idea of encouraging a Squat event to inspire and motivate women came to be. Moreover, the reason this event is being conducted on International Women’s Day is to spread a message to empower and encourage women; from housewives to office women and even students as well.

Ideashop’s part in the event:

This event--this idea--was started in 2016, and I managed this event by myself in 2016 and in 2017 from Jasmine Fitness. In two years it gained more popularity, from an increase in participants to the way people viewed this idea and the event, as well as an increase in the involvement of people in bringing this together; many people got inspired. During the second SQUAT, the Vice-President was the Chief Guest, and esteemed guests like the American Ambassador were present as well, and it brought about 1100 hundred people to Jasmine Fitness Club & Spa. Having been doing it by myself, after the changes I felt that it was near impossible for me to manage it alone, even though the program went about smoothly. The target set for each year is to bring together as many people as possible to this event, and for that I needed an extremely good, professional team. Keeping that in mind, I wanted to work with a capable team that would help me and help boost the event even further, after which the partnership with Ideashop came to be. 

Insight on the categories in the event;

There isn’t a specific age group categorized for the event, but we have sought to bring together women above the ages of 18. In terms of the weight category, we have categorized them into two: above 60 kgs, and below 60 kgs; within which people women above the age of 18 can participate. 

Anticipation for this year’s event:

Now that I have gotten to work with a professional team to put together this event, I guess I have high hopes for the event this time around. This time around we are hosting it at Labim Mall, which is a wonderful venue; along with an increase in the prize money, trophies and the management is better than before, and there’s an added wow factor. 
During the first event, we only had 25 participants; after that we had club involvements that slowly increased from 12 clubs to now 32 clubs. We had participants coming from outside the valley as well, with the audience reaching numbers upto a thousand people. 

This year there will be two venues; how is it being managed? 

The preliminary round will be held at Jasmine itself. Last year, we had over 200 participants in the prelim rounds, and about 65 in the final rounds held at the Heritage Garden, Sanepa. This year as well it will be similar, with preliminary rounds being held at Jasmine Fitness itself, with the final rounds with approx. sixty participants will be hosted at Labim Mall. 

Future Prospects: How do you want this to grow in Nepal?

Firstly, more women should be encouraged to take part in the future events, and that is the primary target. When we talk about the weight categories, in the previous event, Salina Hada lifted 142 kgs in the above-60 category, while Neha Banu lifted about 124 kgs, in the under-60 category, despite not being professional lifters. More and more women have been inspired by these two women, like Salina herself was inspired by watching others; which means that one is inspiring the other and bringing together a community of women who are poised to attempt such activities.

Do you see a prospect for a good, professional level for this in Nepal? 

Based on the level of professionalism in bringing forward these events, it is already in contention with the professional level events in Nepal. Having said that, it also expands into more national and international level competitions as well. But it shouldn’t just have our input in it! The athletes, the club and the organizers need to have a very good teamwork. Presently, we need a lot of help for the events, like sponsors and promotions. Even though we are receiving a lot of support, we haven’t yet found the levels to match our own expectations, which is what makes it more challenging. 

Just like how other sports like football and cricket is prioritized in Nepal, this sport, in terms of fitness, should also be given priority which will prove to be very helpful. In the same vein, an eye-opener for people can be that the market is evolving. Apart from the stable sports that have been followed for years, the fitness scene has changed significantly as well.