Post Report: Cincinnati | July 9, 2018
The Bhutanese Community of Cincinnati Ohio (BCC) has successfully hosted the grand national soccer tournament of the Bhutanese Americans in the beautiful city of Cincinnati Ohio on July 6, 7, and 8, 2018, with a huge participation of Bhutanese American soccer players, sports lovers, and community people from different states of the United States of America and Canada.
According to the Bhutanese American Sports Council (BASC), 29 Boys teams from 27 different states of the United States (viz. Washington, Oregon, Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Idoha, Texas, Arizona, Tennessee, Nebraska, Michigan, Massachusetts, Georgia, New Hampshire, Missouri, Colorado, New York, Virginia, Ohio, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Kentucky and Vermont), and one from Canada participated in the BASC 8th Annual Interstate Soccer Tournament. Similarly, 6 Girls teams from South Dakota, North Dakota, Kentucky, Cincinnati Ohio, Tennessee and Akron Ohio participated in the BASC 4th Annual Interstate Girls Soccer Tournament.
Among the 29 state representing teams, Kentucky and Canada played Semifinal from Pole A, and Georgia and Michigan played Semifinal from Pole B. The state team of Georgia beg the Championship trophy with $7,500.00 cash prize, certificates and first position medals to each player, beating Canada with 1:0. The first runner, Canada was awarded the First Runner Up trophy with $5,000.00 cash prize, certificates and second position medals to each player. In such a grand national tournament, BCN team from state of Nebraska was successful for the fourth time to be awarded with Trophy of Fair Play – Discipline team of the tournament and received $551.00 cash prize.
The girls state team of North Dakota, beg the Championship trophy of the BASC 4th Annual Interstate Girls Soccer Tournament with cash prize of $2,000.00, plus certificates and first position medals to each players, beating girls state team of Kentucky. The girls first runner, Kentucky was awarded with trophy of the First Runner Up, with cash prize of $1,500.00, Certificates and second position medals to each player.
Pema Tamang from Canada was awarded the BASC best player of the men’s national tournament 2018, with trophy, certificate and a $101 check. Similarly, Usha Monger from North Dakota, was awarded the BASC best girls player of the tournament 2018 with trophy, certificate, $101 check, and 24 carat gold pendant sponsored by Kamal Rai owner/proprietor of Jewelers & Wireless Repair LLC, Nashville TN. Similarly, Sarita Monger from North Dakota, was awarded the Highest Scorer trophy of the BASC 4th National Girls soccer tournament, with certificate and $101 cash prize.
The Sports Council awarded the host committee, Bhutanese Community of Cincinnati Ohio (BCC) with the ‘Certificate of Recognition’ for making the grand national tournament of Bhutanese Americans a huge success. The host committee was successful to coordinate with multiple helping organizations and businesses to make the mega national event a grand success.
The host has also organized live Nepali music concert on the second day of the tournament with popular Nepali singer, Sugam Pokharel including some Bhutanese artists Lokesh Gurung, Arun Tamang, Susmita Bhattarai and Jharna KC including DJ Soni.
Since 2015, annually, the Bhutanese American Sports Council (BASC) is honoring senior Bhutanese American athletes who have contributed outstan
ding contributions, services, and leadership to Bhutanese Sports in Bhutan, Bhutanese Refugee Camps in Nepal, and/or in USA. BASC has honored Mr. Kharga Basnet (Khare) from Georgia in 2015, Mr. K. B. Gurung from California in 2016, and Mr. Sajan Chhetri from Virginia in 2017.
This year the Sports Council has honored Bhakti Man Rai with the most respected award, the “Lifetime Achievement Award 2018”, in Cincinnati Ohio, during the award session of the 8th Boys and 4th Girls Annual Interstate Soccer Tournament. Multitalented Mr. Rai was born on 9th March 1963, in Bhutan, who says sports is in his blood, especially the Football (soccer). He had played about half dozen inter-school tournaments, many local, Police, Army, districts and national level tournaments in Bhutan. He used to play through Thimphu 11, the then national team of Bhutan. He was also one of the best marathon runner and played many other sports in his life time. In 1984, Mr. Rai participated in South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) games from Bhutan. He had played uncountable tournaments and games internationally, especially in Bhutan, Bangladesh, India and Nepal. During the establishment of Bhutanese Refugee camps in Beldangi Damak, Mr. Rai initiated to build football grounds. He has become the inspiration for sportsmanship to youths of our community.
Despite of few disciplinary actions and drawbacks, most of all the participating teams and players exhibited their excellent performances in the mega sports event, as a result, the Bhutanese national soccer tournament remain a huge success in Bhutanese American sports history for the year of 2018.
