Tibetan exiles living in Dharamsala are holding a parallel Olympics prior to the Beijing Olympics to garner world attention towards their freedom struggle.
Satovari (Himachal Pradesh), May 22 : Tibetan exiles living in Dharamsala are holding a parallel Olympics prior to the Beijing Olympics to garner world attention towards their 'freedom struggle.'
The Tibetan Olympics started today in Satovari, a hilly resort near Dharamsala, the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile, ahead of the Beijing Olympics in August 2008.
The four-day long Tibetan Olympics will witness ten events, including shooting, archery, swimming, running, high jump, and long jump.
"The participants will play in ten different sports. It will be a four days event. The finale will be on Sunday," said Lobsang Wangyal, director of the organising committee ofibetan Olympics.
The organisers claimed that the Tibetan youths in exile are quite talented, but they are unable to participate in the Beijing Olympics.
"The event is an effort to give an opportunity to the Tibetan youths," said the organisers.
The exiles have been staging demonstrations over the past few months protesting against the alleged Chinese suppression and occupation of the Tibetan territory.
In March, Tibetans in exile carried a torch relay similar to the Olympic torch with the slogan 'One World, Many Dreams', in Dharamsala, or 'Mini Lhasa' as it is known due to the large number of Tibetans in the town, in contrast to the Beijing Olympic torch with the slogan 'One World, One Dream'.
ANI