In 1984, British millionaire and researcher Richard Morley suffered a collapsed lung when travelling in a remote part of Nepal. A villager, ill himself, travelled for several days to get help for Morley. When Morley asked how he could return the favour, the former policeman asked him to take care of his son if he should die. When returning several years later, Morley found that the man had indeed died from his illness. He brought his son, Jayaram “Jay” Khadka, back to England. After widely publicized legal battle with the British government, which wanted to deport the Nepali, Khadka was finally allowed to stay in Britain as the adopted son of Morley.
Morley, a former alpine skier, encouraged Khadka to pick up the sport as well, and started training in France. In order to compete for his birth country, Khadka had to establish the Nepal Ski Association. Because of an injury, Khadka missed qualification for the 2002 Winter Olympics. In late 2001, he decided to switch to cross country skiing, and despite his limited experience in that sport, was allowed to compete in Salte Lake City, with his adoptive father as the team coach. His appearance made him the first Nepali winter Olympian, although the team that was awarded the 1924 Olympic mountaineering gold medal featured several Nepali sherpas.
Nepal