Bhutan Archery Tournament in Tashigang

The Khesar Gyalpo Archery Tournament (KGAT) started in Trashigang yesterday with three teams from the gewogs of Merak, Sakteng and Radhi.

Teams from the 15 gewogs of Trashigang will be using traditional bows and arrows. Teams are to follow the rules and regulations of the Bhutan Indigenous Sports and Games Association (BIGSA).

Similar tournaments are also happening in the other five dzongkhags of the eastern region. Top two teams from each dzongkhag will qualify for the finals that would be played at Gyalpozhing.

Archers must only Tabzhu and Changzhu bows. Archers are also required to wear their team colour (Nyarey) to differentiate one team from the other.

Apart from the commemoration of the 60th birth anniversary of The Fourth Druk Gyalpo, Trashigang’s Sr. Dzongrab, Pema Dorji said that one of the objectives of KGAT is to promote Bhutan’s national sport.

“Further, the tournament will provide a platform for interaction among people from different places,” the Sr. Dzongrab said.

The Office of The Gyaltshab in Gyalpozhing is organizing the tournament under the command of HRH The Gyaltshab Jigme Dorji Wangchuck.  The KGAT committee will coordinate the tournament and shall act as the dispute settlement body as well.

Meanwhile, the dzongkhag administration should submit the lists of those teams, which have qualified for the final level tournament (FLT), to the Office of The Gyaltshab. Finale is scheduled on October 18

Source: Kuenselonline

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Bhutan BFF trains Women Footballers

A five-day FIFA Women Coaching Course is underway to promote women’s football in the country.

Organised by the Bhutan Football Federation (BFF) with support from FIFA, the training aims to demonstrate the role of coach in relation to the players.

A total of 21 young women football enthusiasts, including school physical education instructors, national players, coaches and representatives from clubs, are taking part in the training.

The training includes both theoretical and practical sessions where participants will be trained in aspects like match analysis, psychological development of players, roles and responsibilities of the coach, and coping with differences within the team.

Instructor Hope Powell said that so far the participants have shown great interest in the course. “They’re very interactive. At the same time, they are intelligent and, therefore, it’s easier for me to conduct the sessions without much problems,” said that 48-year-old FIFA consultant. “At the end of this five-day course I expect each and every one of them to leave with some extra knowledge.”

One of the participants, Dechen Wangmo, said that she’s looking forward to learn the roles and responsibilities of a coach to understand the players better.

“Being a player myself, I know the importance of understanding the coach’s approach with the players,” said that 18-year-old. “The bond between the coach and players is very important in the development of the game. I expect to learn a lot from this course.”

Training coordinator Yiwang Pindarica said that the initiation was a small step toward improving women’s football in Bhutan.

“With football becoming popular in the country, women are starting to show interest in the game,” she said. “We are grateful to FIFA for supporting the initiative and hope to encourage more women to take up the sport.”

Women’s football in Bhutan started a long time ago but did not have avenues to succeed as did men’s team. With recent efforts from the federation, however, the game’s popularity with women is growing.

The under-14 national women’s football team represents the Bhutan in the international football.

Source: Kuenselonline

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Bhutan National team sees big opportunities ahead

The journey of Bhutan’s national football squad through the World Cup Qualifiers has not been easy.

Considered to be one of the worst footballing nations in the world, the journey of this young team started off with a historic win against Sri Lanka in the first round of the World Cup Qualifiers in March.

The win put the lowest ranked Bhutan to 163, the highest jump ever by a country in the April edition of the  FIFA/Coca-Cola World ranking.

Bhutan National Team

Victory against Sri Lanka pumped Bhutan’s hope by much and the players became national heroes overnight.

But the national players are all very young and inexperienced compared with the teams they had to face. A good number of national players were made up of students and professionals in different fields.

21-year-old Biren Basnet of the national squad is a second year student of Royal Thimphu College  (RTC). He has for the time being quit college to play for the nation.

“When I was in college I was also playing for my club. It was difficult managing time between studies and football,” he said. “After consulting with parents and teachers, I decided to leave college until whole campaign is over.”

Like Biren, Jigme Tshering Dorjee and Tshering Dorji, who were studying at RTC have decided to give Bhutan’s dream for World Cup more importance to study.

Tshering Dorji said that the decision was taken in consultation with his family and teachers. “Since the national team had to play eight games in this round, time management was becoming very difficult,” said the 20-year-old midfielder. “Till March next year we’ll be fully engaged in preparing for the matches.”

Lungtok Dawa is a first year student at RTC. The 17-year-old said that most of the time he is too exhausted with the training sessions and cannot concentrate in the classes. “It is difficult to cope with trainings and studies at the same time.”

Tshering Dendup, who is a member of the national team, is waiting to pursue his higher education. The 21-year-old goalie said that because football in the country has improved he plans to pursue his passion which is football.

Football has come a long way in Bhutan. National players are now provided with a monthly salary of Nu 10,000 along with the latest gears required to play at international levels.

Bhutan Football Federation also provides scholarships to players to help them continue their education. The federation is also planning to build facilities like gymnasium and to provide better dietary services to help improve the team.

Source: Kuenselonline

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