Nipuna Dewinda Bandara (35th, 65th) struck a brace while Mi Mohamed Zain (29th) scored one as the island nation bagged three points from the match against the lowest ranked team in the eight-nation tournament.

Zain gave Sri Lanka the lead after he slotted in a cross from Chathura Gunarathna in the 29th minute. Six minutes later, Zain set-up Bandara with a lovely pass and the striker struck to double the lead in the 35th minute.

Bandara completed his brace in the 65th minute and could have completed his hat-trick with a brilliant solo run from the left, but his shot was saved by the Bhutan custodian.

Courtesy : ibnlive.in.com

The stage program featured a variety of items including songs, dances, dramas, ‘sangini’ and ‘balan’. A dance performed by a four-year-old child drew a lot of attraction at the event held at Gumba ground.

Mahanawami marks the last day of Navaratri festival that begins with Ghatasthapana.

Watch the video below for details

The Bhutanese were among the 150 participants from various backgrounds including Sudan, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Malaysia, Burma, Cameroon, Kenya, Eritrea, Afghanistan and Pakistan who took part in the competition.

Players of the team pose after the match

The Bhutanese Thunder Dragon Football Club of ABWO, under the captaincy of Meen Adhikari has secured third place among the junior (under 17 years) after playing four matches and securing one bye. They have defeated the Brunswick Stars twice in league and in knock-out round for third place. Earlier giant players of Ethiopian Stars defeated them.

The team was led by Jagan Dhimal, youth Coordinator of the ABWO, and coached by Bhuwani Rai.

According to the young players, it is their first time to play in such precinct venue and on FIFA standards at the Darebin International Sports Centre in the north of Melbourne. Most of the players said that they were very nervous at the beginning because the opponents were from African countries and were huge in comparison, but from the second match they have gained confidence and dominated the games.

Some said it is their first time to play soccer from anyone other than Bhutanese or Nepalese community who speaks different languages.

Youth Coordinator Jagan Dhimal, said arriving in a new country and to play with new teams from different cultures is completely a daunting experience, but there is one language that much of the world speaks fluently – football. And it is through football that many newly arrived Australians have found a way to connect to their new country.

The Intro album

Promoted by Western Union and IME Damak, the launching ceremony saw hundreds of exiled Bhutanese and eminent guests and musicians from the local community.

Local artists Prakash Angdembe and Upendra Subba, YFC-Cartias program coordinator Sarju Rai and noted singer Babu Bogati jointly released the Intro album.

The Youth Friendly Center (YFC), that managed the event, also facilitated singer Rai in a bid to recognize his contribution to the community through music.

Reported by Tulsi Upreti from Beldangi-I for BNS.

Yam Thulung has been awarded with the Jhakas International Literary Award in recognition of his long contribution to Bhutanese literature in exile.

The Jhakas Group honored Thulung, President of Bhutan Gazal Munch, amidst a program organized in Khudunabari camp on Monday.

The award consists of cash amount and an appreciation letter. Various personalities involved in literature and artists from Bhutan and Nepal, among others were present during the award-giving program.

Reported by Tulsi Upreti from Khudunabari camp for BNS

The 24-member Bhutanese team — including 18 players — landed at the TIA in Kathmandu Tuesday morning before flying down to Pokhara.

The friendly matches are slated for Thursday and Saturday at the Pokhara Stadium. The Bhutanese team is in Nepal as part of its preparation for the play-off matches against Afghanistan on March 23 and 25 in New Delhi.

The winner of the playoff will join Nepal, North Korea and Sri Lanka in the AFC Challenge Cup Group ‘D’ qualifiers. President of Kaski FA Khem Bahadur Gurung among others members and sports personalities welcomed the team.

The Nepali team is already in Pokhara for friendlies and one-week closed camp for the qualifiers, slated for April 7-11.

The TWGG Cup 9-A-Side Interstate Tournament was organized Yeti Soccer Club where 10 teams participated from Queensland, Sydney, Darwin and Melbourne.

Thunder Dragon Team

The BCA Thunder Dragon Football Club was awarded the fair play team award by the independent decision of three Australian Umpiring officials who are involved with Football Federation Victoria. The young guns of BCA had to face the Yeti Blue football team that even owns players from the national football team of Nepal.

Going as underdog in the tournament, the smooth play and fairness not only surprised many and won the hearts of spectators but also sustained the giants to Yeti Blue until the last minutes of the game and fell victim of one goal avoiding embarrassment to the Yeti Blue.

The Bhutanese team was coordinated and prepared under the guidance of BCA Sports Coordinator Devi Ghimirey and supported by Bhuwani Rai as captain. The team uniform was sponsored with the funding from AMES, a statutory arm of the Victorian government responsible for resettling newly arrived refugees, and football and other logistics from Football Federation of Victoria.

Khem Dahal from the Bhutanese community won the straight kicking award and was awarded a tea-shirt signed by the artists of Cobweb Bands- a rock band of Nepal and currently in Melbourne.

Contributed by Parsuram Sharma Luital from Melbourne for BNS

Kuwait’s opening bowlers, right-handed Saad Khalid and left-armer Mohammad Murad, combined to skittle Bhutan for just 31 as no batsman made it to double figures and extras, with 10, provided the bulk of the scoring, reported the cricinfo.com Wednesday.

Kuwait lost both openers in their chase, but the score had already reached 20 by the time they departed, and Abid Chaudry and Mohammad Akhudzada had little trouble knocking off the remaining runs in time for an early lunch.

Murad and Khalid had dished out the same treatment to Suriname in their opening match of the tournament, and are now sitting comfortably at the top of the wicket-takers’ tables with 22 victims between them.

Their pace proved simply too much for Bhutan’s inexperienced batsmen as eight dismissals were either bowled or lbw.

Altogether, eight different teams participated from four sectors of the camp. Sector A defeated sector D in penalty shoot-out.

The winner received a cash prize of Rs 3700 and the loser 2500, the organiser informed Bhutan News Service.

The match was a joint initiative of various organizations including Armed Police Force in camp.

Reported by Tilak Niraula for BNS from Goldhap

Hemanta with her team

Hemanta Acharya,17, a Bhutanese school girl from Blacktown, New South Wales Australia ,finished her South Africa tour from 28th June to 16th July attending an indoor football festival named Football for Hope Festival 2010 held in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The festival held during the last FIFA World Cup 2010 was organised by Street Football World which is comprised of many nations.

The tournament based on the fair play and without a referee but in presence of a mediator was a 12 minute indoor football played by 5 players on each side.

Australian team who had reached quarter final, altogether played eight matches with different countries out which they won 3, lost 3 and drawn 2 matches.

The Year 10 student of Mitchell High School in Blacktown got this opportunity to represent Australia when she was selected by Football United for an 8 membered squad for the indoor football tournament. She has been a member of Football United since 2009. The squad represented different multicultural societies as she represented Bhutanese cultural group in Australia.

In a telephonic conversation with BNS, she said that she was very happy and proud to represent the Bhutanese community of Australia in South Africa. She said, ‘I did not represent Bhutanese community in New South Wales only but I feel I represented whole of it from Australia’.

The squad headed towards South Africa under the guidance of Anne, the founder of Football United, Abu, the coach and Mahmoud, the youth leader via Dubai transit. The trip was sponsored by Fly Emirates, Adidas, Football Federation Australia and supported by the respective schools of the team members.

While in South Africa, staying at Queen’s High School in Johannesburg, she took the chance of watching the quarter final between Spain and Paraguay of FIFA World 2010 live on 3rd July at Ellis Park there. The team along with Hemanta also met Australian Commissioner there who wished them good luck before their matches.

She informed that it provided her an opportunity to take wonderful experiences including understanding the South African history visiting the museum, Nelson Mandela’s old residence in Johannesburg and Lion and Rhino National Park. She also visited the places called Pretoria and Alexendera, a developing suburb of Johannesburg which made her to remember her life in the refugee camp in Nepal. Apart from above, she attended a leadership training, football Coach training and cultural exhibition. Unfortunately, she couldn’t exhibit Bhutanese-Nepali culture as she was alone there and felt odd even though she had carried Guniyeu Cholo, a traditional Bhutanese-Nepali costume with her.

Congratulating and welcoming her back home, Damber Dhungel, Youth Secretary of Bhutanese Community in NSW and Case worker of ACL (IHSS) said, ‘Hemanta kept name and dignity of Bhutanese in Australia which is matter of pride for all of us’. In the conversation, she expressed her thankfulness to her school, Football United, Bhutanese community in NSW, their long term support and kind co-operation.