Every dream begins somewhere. For 15-year-old Meera Regmi, a Class X student at Khangkhu Middle Secondary School in Paro, it began in her school playground—modest, routine, and often overlooked. But today, her journey speaks volumes about how far belief, opportunity, and structured support can take a young person.

On 24th May 2024, Meera made history as the main Master of Ceremony for the 6th Para Festival 2025, confidently guiding a national celebration of inclusive sports with clarity and poise. For a student from a humble background, this was no small feat. It was a reflection of the transformation possible when children are given a platform to grow, not just as students but as communicators, leaders and changemakers. Even more remarkably, just two months earlier, Meera had already marked a milestone never before achieved by any Bhutanese.

When the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and Olympic Solidarity (OS), in collaboration with the Bhutan Olympic Committee (BOC), launched the Youth Reporter Program in four pilot schools, nearly 200 students competed under the theme “Asian Games for All.” Representing Dechencholing HSS, Chundu Armed Forces Public School, Woochu LSS, and her own school, Khangkhu MSS, the young participants went through workshops, storytelling challenges, and media-related tasks. Meera emerged as the winner, becoming the first-ever Bhutanese—and the first globally—to be selected for the 20th Asian Games Youth Reporter Program, to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan in 2026. Her story isn’t an isolated success—it is part of a wave slowly rising.

Launched in March 2024, the Sports in School project is a collaborative initiative between the Bhutan Olympic Committee (BOC) and the Ministry of Education and Skills Development (MoESD), with funding support from Olympic Solidarity. Though still in its infancy, piloted across four schools, this program has already begun to show what’s possible when sport is used as a holistic tool for education, inclusion, and empowerment.

The program does not aim to produce just athletes. It nurtures leaders. It creates space for students to build their self-esteem, master communication, and develop life skills through structured physical activity and participation. It has turned morning drills into platforms for teamwork, and PE periods into gateways for discovering hidden talents.

Behind this transformation are the School Sports Instructors (SSIs), Health & Physical Education (HPE) teachers, and dedicated implementation teams from multiple agencies—working with quiet dedication to ensure that each child finds not only strength in movement, but purpose in participation.

Meera’s success is only a drop in the ocean of what this project envisions. There is still so much to learn, so much to build, and so many lives to reach. The early fruits we see today hint at the promise of something far greater—a future where every school becomes a ground for confidence, collaboration, and courage.

This is just the beginning of a bigger dream. One that calls on all of us—educators, families, leaders, and communities—to see sports not as an extra, but as essential. To create spaces where every child, regardless of background, has the chance to shine.

As this program grows, may Meera’s story inspire many more students, teachers, and schools to believe in the power of sport—not just to win games, but to shape lives.