DHARAMSHALA, May 23: 28 Tibetan football clubs from the United States of America, Canada, Europe, Nepal and India will play for the 21st Gyalyum Chenmo Memorial Gold Cup (GCMGC) Football Tournament to be held at the TCV football ground from May 30 to June 10.
Each team will have minimum of two games to play in the format that is league cum knockout system.
Sudhir Sharama, Minister of Urban Development, Himachal Pradesh, and Penpa Tsering, Speaker of Tibetan Parliament in exile will grace the opening ceremony the Chief Guest and Special Guest respectively.
Tibetan Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay will be the Chief Guest for the final game and closing ceremony of the tournament scheduled for June 10.
This year, the tournament will be dedicated to His Holiness the Dalai Lama turning 80.
The Gyalyum Chenmo Memorial Gold Cup football tournament, now into its 21st edition, is the most coveted sporting event of the Tibetan Diaspora. It was first held in Dharamshala in 1981 in memory of the late mother of the Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
The Tibetan Sports Association (TSA) took over the responsibility of organizing the GCMGC in 2003 and has since used the tournament to hone fresh talents and select Tibetan football players for the Tibetan national football team. The team played it’s first ever match against Greenland, and represented Tibet in various tournaments within India and abroad.
The TNSA chairman Kalsang Dhondup said his association is very grateful to the Gaden Phodrang (private office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama) for financially supporting the tournament and TNSA’s other engagements for the promotion of the game.
The GCM Gold Cup football tournament is the biggest sporting event of the Tibetan exile community spread across the world. Teams from the US, Canada and Europe are participating in the tournament spending their own expenses which is much more than the prize money to be won. However, the glory of lifting the Cup is worth millions for the teams.
