Bidhan Lama

Bidhan Lama

Personal information
Native name	विधान लामा
Nationality	Nepalese
Born	22 March 1966 (1966-03-22) (age 60) Lainchour, Kathmandu, Nepal
Height	160.02 cm (5 ft 3 in)
Weight	50 kg (110 lb)
Children	3 daughters and a son
Sport
Sport	Taekwondo
Rank	Shichidan Black belt in Taekwondo
Event	50kg finweight
Coached by	Kailash Rai
Retired	1990
Medal record Representing  Nepal Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games - – 1 World Championships - – 1 Asian Championships - 1 – Asian Games - - 1 Total 0 1 3 Olympic Games 1988 Seoul -50 kg World Championships 1987 Barcelona -50 kg Asian Championships 1988 Kathmandu -50 kg Asian Games 1986 Seoul -50 kg

Bidhan Lama (Nepali: विधान लामा; born 22 March 1966) is a Nepalese taekwondo practitioner who competed in the men's −50 kg division.

Lama won a bronze medal at the 1986 Asian Games in the men's 50kg finweight event, becoming the first Nepali athlete to win a medal at the Asian Games. He also won bronze medals at the 1987 World Taekwondo Championships and in the taekwondo demonstration event at the 1988 Summer Olympics.

His bronze medal at the 1987 World Taekwondo Championships made him the first Nepali athlete to win a medal at a world championship in an Olympic sport. As of 2026, he remains the only Nepali athlete to have won a medal at the Summer Olympics.

Lama represented the Nepal Taekwondo Association throughout his competitive career. At the 1988 Summer Olympics, he defeated Ebenezer Ghansah of Great Britain in the opening round and Choi Chan-ok of West Germany in the quarter-finals before losing to Juan Moreno of the United States in the semi-finals, earning a bronze medal in the demonstration event.

He also won a silver medal at the 1988 Asian Taekwondo Championships, the first silver medal won by Nepal at the championships.

Post-competitive career

After his competitive career, Lama moved to the United States in the early 1990s. He has stated in interviews that the move was for educational and professional opportunities and to support his family.

In 1995, Lama established a taekwondo training center in the United States. He subsequently worked as a taekwondo instructor and has continued to promote taekwondo among the Nepalese diaspora while supporting the development of the sport in Nepal.

Awards and honours

Legacy

Lama is regarded as one of the pioneers of taekwondo in Nepal. His bronze medal at the 1986 Asian Games was Nepal's first medal at the Asian Games, while his bronze medal at the 1987 World Taekwondo Championships was the country's first medal at a world championship in an Olympic sport. His achievements contributed to the growth of taekwondo in Nepal and earned him national honours, including the Fourth and Fifth Class of the Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu.

References

External links

• Bidhan Lama at Olympics.com
• "Bidhan Lama faces Britain's Ebe Ghansah in the first round of the finweight division at the 1988 Seoul Olympics". YouTube. David Henry. 22 March 2013.
• Nepal's BIGGEST SUCCESS in SPORTS. YouTube. The Nepali Comment. 7 August 2024.