Kathmandu, July 9 -- While women's tennis players Sunira Thapa and Mahika Rana were training together to represent Nepal in the South Asian Games in 2023, they talked about their common struggles as athletes in Nepal-a lack of funding, poor facilities, and little recognition of athletics as a legitimate career.

"We used to complain about it a lot," Rana said, "and we decided we should stop waiting for other people to do something about it."

The result is the group Athletes for Athletes that the pair recently formed to empower athletes with the resources and support they need to excel in their sport and athletic careers. For years, Nepal's athletes have struggled to access the resources they need to train while financially supporting the...