Dharamsala, May 31 (IANS) Twenty-one teams will compete in the 20th Gyalyum Chemo Memorial Gold Cup Football Tournament, organised by the Tibetan National Sports Association in this Himachal Pradesh town, from June 4 to 15, the organisers said Saturday.
Among the 27 clubs registered for the tournament, 21 from India and Nepal were selected on the basis of qualification rounds, the association said in a statement.
The tournament will be played on a league and knockout system.
The teams comprise participants mainly from the Tibetan Children’s Village Schools.
Instituted in the memory of the Dalai Lama’s mother, the tournament is a platform for the Tibetans-in-exile to protect their identity.
Former Indian captain Bhaichung Bhutia and former New Zealand footballer Tim Brown will attend the opening ceremony.
McLeodganj, on the outskirts of this town, is the headquarters of the Tibetan government-in-exile. Around 140,000 Tibetans live in exile out of which over 100,000 are in different parts of India.
–Indo-Asian news Service
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