Sports for AIDS awareness

RED-5 OPEN FOOTBALL TOURNEY BEGINS AT MG MARG

GANGTOK, 06 Jan: The ‘Red Five Open Football Tournament’ was inaugurated here at MG Marg today. A total of 100 teams from across the state are participating in this five-a-side football tournament being organized jointly by HOPE Foundation, RUN, SNP+ and Bethzatha under the aegis of Sikkim State AIDS Control Society in collaboration with different NGOs.

Two friendly matches were played in the tournament today. In the first match, members of National Girl’s team of the state played against each other as part of two different teams.
The second match had veteran players of the two oldest and popular clubs of Sikkim, Boy’s Club and Dzongri Club, playing against each other. Both of these matches attracted a good number of spectators.
The inaugural day had the Sports Secretary, Karma P Bhutia, as the chief guest, who was accompanied by Deputy Mayor, Shakti Singh, Sikkim Football Association former president, Tempo Bhutia, SSACS Project Director, Dr Uttam Pradhan among others.
In his inaugural address, the Sports Secretary appreciated the initiative of the SSACS in creating awareness and informing people through sports. He mentioned that this is a positive initiative by the SSACS to encourage people to stay alert and safe.
The matches of this knock-out football tournament are scheduled to be played at the Guards Ground.
The tournament is part of the SSACS’s RED FEST with the aim to promote sports culture, to acknowledge footballers of the state and to spread awareness on HIV & AIDS and drug addiction.