TWA Basketball Team Win for a Society free from Sexual Violence

By Wendhe Choetse / June 15, 2014;

The chief guests and the two teams before the final match.
Photo: Facebook

The Tibetan Women’s Association Basketball Team have been celebrating not only their win in the “Dhasa Tibetan Women’s Basketball Tournament”, but the endorsement this tournament brings to the campaign for a society free from sexual violence.

Tibetan women in and around Dharamshala took part in the week-long tournament which is organised annually to promote women’s health as well as this year’s endorsement for the awareness campaign for the concept of a society free from sexual violence. Throughout the tournament all the players wore purple wrist bands to signify support for a sexual-violence free society.

This year, the tournament saw a greater participation with eight teams taking part* and was organised collectively by the participating teams with shared responsibilities. It was opened on May 25 by Nangsa Choedon, Secretary of the Public Service Commission, and at the closing ceremony Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile (the CTA), Mr Penpa Tsering, praised the organisers for promoting the awareness campaign. Ms Gyari Dolma, Home Kalon (minister) of the CTA said that all concerned people should take responsibility in eliminating sexual violence in our society. They both congratulated all the players while presenting the trophy and cash prize to the winning team.

Tenzin Tseyang, who works for the Women’s Empowerment Desk at the CTA, but working on her own initiative, set up the basketball tournaments to encourage Tibetan women to come out and play sports. This year, she decided the tournament would endorse this specific theme. “Increasing news reports on sexual violence cases in our community calls for urgent mass programs, and I saw the Dhasa Tibetan Women’s Basketball Tournament as the best opportunity. As we have seen, there are always hundreds in the audiences, irrespective of age and gender, enjoying our matches. Our endorsement of the concept of a sexual-violence free society through this event will spread the message across the community, while women’s sports and health are advanced at the same time,” Tseyang told Contact Magazine.

Large numbers of spectators filled the ground to cheer the teams. One commented, “Women’s basketball skills have really improved over the years and you must keep organising it.”

*The eight teams taking part were: the Department of Home; Drogmo; Ex- TCV; Gu Chu Sum; Norbulinga; Regional Tibetan Women’s Association Dharamsala; Tibetan Career Centre and Tibetan Women’s Football team.