GCMGC FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT: INTRODUCTION

TNSA came into the picture of organizing the GCMGC in 2003. Today it is fully responsible for organizing this tournament every year. There are more than twenty registered football clubs under TNSA. This is one tournament that involves maximum Tibetan youth and through this tournament, the TNSA selects its national team for participation in tournaments around the world. We are in the process of strengthening this mentoring and selection process- both at the school and club levels

• OPENING CEREMONY: The 15th GCMGC football tournament kicked off amidst much fanfare at Upper TCV, Dharamsala, in auspicious presence of His Eminence the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, Ugen Trinley Dorjee Rinpoche, the honorable chief guest. Other Tibetan and Indian guests of honor present, including the Kangra District Police Chief, also graced the occasion while thousands of spectators congregated to witness the tournament - one of the biggest sporting events in exile. The preliminary session of the opening ceremony was marked by one-minute silence followed by prayers to mourn and pray for the deaths of those martyrs who laid their lives at the altar of the Tibetan freedom struggle. The moment also demonstrated solidarity with the brethrens back home in Tibet.


• THANK YOU INDIA: The second part of the opening ceremony was dedicated to the commemoration of 50 years in exile: Thank You India. A troupe from Upper TCV presented a song in Indian language expressing sincere gratitude to the Indian Government and its people for the kind hospitality extended to all Tibetan refugees for the past five decades and their continued support. As a gesture of goodwill, the first match was played between TCV United and Kangra District Police teams. It ended up in a draw, with both teams scoring a goal each.


• PARTICIPATING CLUBS: There were eighteen clubs in all from different parts of India and one from Nepal for the tournament. The managers, coaches and players of all the clubs were given full details about the rules and regulations a day prior to the kick off. Besides, players were also instructed to wear black bands around their arms to protest the continued atrocities in Tibet under PRC rule.


• FIXTURES: Due to the time constraint and limited resources at its disposal, the Organizing Committee was compelled to adopt the knockout system. The fixtures were set by drawing from a lot in the presence of all clubs members. In all seventeen matches were played including the final game covering ten days. Two matches had been every day starting at 2 and 4 p.m. except for the 1st and 5th day where only one match was played.


• REFEREES: Good and unbiased refereeing is one of the vital ingredients of a successful tournament. For many years refereeing had been done by qualified Tibetan referees, but they soon ended up receiving the wrath of some sections of the spectators despite being fair in their on-field duties. Therefore, in the best interest of the tournament the Committee has started hiring professional Indian referees in recent years. This time also the Committee engaged Kangra District Referees Association to do the umpiring for the tournament.


• THE FINAL; Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche, Honorable Prime Minister of the exile Tibetan Government, the chief guest graced the final match in the presence of Tibetan and Indian dignitaries in the midst of overwhelming fervent crowds. Mundgod FC from Karnataka State and the debutant club, TSAM from Chennai of Tamil Nadu, made their way to the final. Both the teams played aggressively struggling to outdo each other. However, after the 90 minutes of full time both the clubs ended in a draw earning three goals each. The teams had to compete further in extra time when the club from Mundgod scored a goal after a free-kick was awarded, dashing hope for their rival team. The final score was 4-3 in favour of Mundgod FC. The honorable chief guest gave away the prizes and cups for the runners-up and winners amidst myriads of media persons.

CONCLUSION: GCMGC (Gyalyum Chenmo Memorial Gold Cup) football tournament is held in memory of the late Great Mother of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to whom Tibetans are ever grateful and indebted. One of the reasons to organize such a tournament is to promote the inherent qualities of Gyalyum Chenmo, peace and compassion, that are very much relevant in the present world. As such, TNSA has been assigned to organize the tournament (under the aegis of TCV) and has been employing every possible effort to promote these qualities through sports since its inception in 2003 despite a number of impediments. At times the events have been blighted by some unruly sections of the audience, yet the overall tournament this year has been a success and we look forward to better and healthier play-offs. No matter what, the spirit of sports will never fade away and die.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: TNSA expresses its profound gratitude and thankfulness to TCV, Dharamsala Tibetan Settlement Officer, monasteries and institutions and all those compassionate donors and contributors without whom 2009 GCMGC would not have been a successful event. Above all, TNSA owes much venerated gratitude to His Holiness the Dalai Lama for continued support and encouragement through His wisdom.

THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN ONE AND ALL!

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