Dr T Ao Memorial Football Tournament begins

ANUSHA GURUNG
GANGTOK, 02 Mar: Dr T Ao Memorial Football Tournament organized by the department of Sports ad Youth Affairs was inaugurated by the Speaker, KT Gyaltsen here at Paljor Stadium today. Sikkim is hosting this prestigious tournament for the first time.
The Speaker declared the tournament open and also met the officials and players of all eight participating teams.
In his inaugural address, the Speaker congratulated the Department of Sports and Youth Affairs for bringing the tournament in memory of a legendary footballer of the country to the state this year. He expressed that such tournaments would help promote football and encourage talented footballers of the region to showcase their talents.
Winning and losing is part of the game but the most important thing is to participate and play in the spirit of sports, said Mr Gyalsten. He mentioned that football involves team work, mutual respect, good leadership, hardwork, dedication, skills, physical fitness which are all positive aspects of life. He further encouraged the footballers to learn from their experiences to prepare for future challenges.
The Speaker further expressed hope that this tournament would also bring about mutual understanding and cooperation between the people of the north-east region and thereby help promote national integration.
Earlier, the welcome address was presented by the SYA Secretary, Karma P Bhutia. The inaugural day was also attended by Gangtok MLA, Dorjee Namgyal, Chief Secretary, Karma P Bhutia and members from different sports associations among others.
During the inaugural function, the students of Modern Secondary School presented Nepali, Bhutia and Lepcha dances.