Tibetan Youth Congress Celebrates its 47th Year

Contact is taking a holiday!

Contact is taking a break after 25 years of bringing you news of Tibet and Tibetan issues. We are celebrating our 25 years by bringing you the story of Contact and the people who have made it happen, and our archive is still there for you to access at any time, and below you can read the story of Contact, how it came into being and the wonderful reflections of the people who have made it happen over the years.

When and how Contact will re-emerge and evolve will be determined by those who become involved.

By Graham Henderson / October 12, 2016;

Photo: Kunsang Gashon/Phayul

The Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) celebrated its 47th anniversary on September 7. Hundreds of Tibetans as well as the heads of several NGOs attended the celebration in Dharamsala, remembering and honouring those who have sacrificed their lives for the Tibetan cause.

The festivities were presided over by chief guest Ngawang Yonten from the Central Tibetan Administration’s Department of Home, and both he and TYC’s president Tenzin Jigmey gave speeches.

Sports enthusiasts were entertained by the annual Tibetan Martyrs Memorial Cup, culminating this year with the men and women’s basketball finals. Before each game a moment of silence honouring Tibetan martyrs was held.

The crowd was not disappointed during the men’s final which saw the defending champion Nomad Club take on Thuboe Team. Both sides gave it their all with three of Thuboe’s players charged with five fouls each but in the end the Nomads were crowned victorious, winning by 18 points. In the women’s final, Ex-Suja emerged triumphant over Men-tse-khang in a game that turned out to be a low-scoring defensive battle.

In it’s almost five decades of existence TYC has built up a solid reputation. It is the largest organisation of its kind boasting over 30,000 members worldwide and campaigns relentlessly for the country’s independence.