Women's football to connect Chinese, exiled Tibetans

DHARAMSHALA: It is for the first time since its formation in 2011 that the Tibetan women football team in exile is travelling abroad. They would be meeting their Chinese counterpart during the trip. The Tibetan footballers have been invited to attend the Discover Football, the International women's football & cultural festival, in Berlin from June 27 to July 6.
Other teams to take part in the festival include Brazil, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Tanzania, South Africa, and China. This year's theme of the festival is 'Beyond Borders.'
As many as seven Tibetan players will be going to Berlin along with their coach Gompo Dorjee and program manager Cassie Childers of the US, who started the Tibet women's football in 2011.
"The players will be in mixed teams to play a friendly tournament. Some of the Tibetan contingent will be playing alongside Chinese players, the first known meeting of Tibetan and Chinese athletes post 1959," Cassie told TOI on Saturday.
She added that the event also marks the first time in the history that female Tibetan athletes have traveled abroad to represent Tibet at a sporting event. "Considering this program to be an ideal opportunity to engage in sports diplomacy and share their stories with the world, the team has been undergoing training in communication and public speaking," Cassie added.
The athletes said through sports diplomacy, they want to present the Tibetan cause to the world. The Tibet women's football program has till date extended the opportunity of playing to more than 1,000 young Tibetan women and girls living in exile.
The women empowerment program also organizes combined football and empowerment camps twice a year and supports the formation of girls' teams at refugee settlements throughout India. Annually, top players are selected for training to be in the Team that aims to travel abroad, representing the Tibetan women at football events across the world.
The festival in Berlin is sponsored by the federal foreign office of Germany, the ministry of the interior, and the Friedrich-Ebert Foundation. The goal of the event, besides playing an international tournament, is to bring together experts on women football to exchange ideas and empower women through football.