The Gorkhaland Territorial
Administration has decided to resume the All India Brigade of Gurkha
Gold Cup football tournament from this year. The annual event had been
skipped in 2013 due to the political unrest that had swamped the
Darjeeling hills.
Popularly known as the Gold Cup, the GTA
sports and youth affairs department restarted the event in 2010 after a
gap of 25 years. The last big tournament was held way back in 1985
following which the 28-month statehood agitation started. But even after
the formation of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) in 1988, the
tournament had failed to resume.
The Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Sports
Association (DGHSA), one of the tournament organisers, today announced
the 14th edition of the Gold Cup would be held from February 28 to March
9.
"It was unfortunate that we could not
hold the 14th Gold Cup tournament last year due to the political
situation. Hence, we decided to hold it in February-March to compensate
for the gap," said DGHSA president Dawa Lama.
This year, the organisers have fielded
the GTA 11 and also roped in top teams from Kolkata. The 12
participating teams are Southern Samity, Eastern Railways, Peerless
Sports Club, Aryan Club, Kalighat Milan Sangh and Dalhousie Athletic
club, all from Kolkata. The remaining participants are Neroca from
Manipur, ONGC Mumbai, Odisha 11 and Jammu and Kashmir Sports Club.
The prize money has also been increased
this year, with the winners to receive Rs3 lakh and the runners-up Rs2
lakh along with trophies. Meanwhile, all participating teams will get
Rs15,000, Rs20,000 and Rs25,000 during the league phase according to the
progress they make.
"Apart from this, the teams will also be
provided free food, lodging and conveyance for the duration of the
tournament," informed Lama.
The DGHSA president also said the 15th edition of the tournament is slated for September-November of this year as usual.
"Since we missed out on a year, we have
decided to host the tournament again later this year on its traditional
date. This means we will have two Gold Cup tournaments this year,” he
said.(EOIC)