The Tibetan National Football Team was formed in 2001. To this day, neither FIFA nor the Asian Football Confederation will recognize the team. Due to the country’s political status, it took 5 years before the team was able to compete in any form of tournament, qualifier or otherwise. The competition they eventually entered was called the “FIFI Wild Cup“, and it was organized by an online gambling network. The event saw the Tibetan national playing against other unrecognized nations, like Gibraltar and Northern Cyprus. For the moment, this is the best these teams can hope to see.

The Tibetan team’s manager, Kelsang Dhondup, was interviewed by TibetNet back in 2003.

“When we first started the association, two important things were laid out as our immediate plan. One was to form a standard national football team and the other was to organize a national football tournament,” Dhondup explained.

For Kelsang, this team is part of a larger vision. His work doesn’t stop with the National Football Team, he also helped to found The Tibetan National Sports Association (TNSA). The TNSA is organized much like other national team’s governing bodies, but their lack of support forces them to operate more like a local weekend league. He hopes to one day develop nationwide youth programs, and someday see Tibetan athletes recognized in international competition.

“[O]ffers have come from Japan and Germany asking us to send young Tibetans who have special interest in sports,” Dhondup says. “We are also planning to get well-known trainers and sports personalities to visit different schools and give more exposure to the children.”

Unfortunately, without support from the international community, the TNSA’s dream will most likely wither on the vine.

For a large part of history, Tibet and China were separate entities. Although they often fought for control of the same region, the current dichotomy wasn’t established until the second part of the 20th century.

In 1959, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) declared their supremacy over Tibet and solidified that position with the aid of military force As a result, the Dalai Lama was forced into exile. The Dalai Lama currently leads an organization called the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), which many view as the Tibetan people’s true government. The CTA currently operates out of Dharamsala in India. This dispute between China and Tibet has raged on internally ever since then.

Outside of China, there have been many positions taken on the issue. While the US and UK both officially accept that Tibet is part of China, public opinion continues to be mixed.

During a 2008 meeting with President Obama, the Dalai Lama was able to discuss the nation’s grievances. Even though President Obama continued to endorse Chinese sovereignty in the region, it was the first time any US President had held a meeting with the Dalai Lama.

Since then, Tibetan protesters have made very little headway with the PRC, but the idea of national athletic competition has begun to catch on.

In 2011, the Tibetan Women’s National Team was formed. Earlier this summer, four years after they were formed, that team was invited to Berlin play their first match on international soil. The Tibet Post sat down with Cassie Childers, the women’s Program Manager, to talk about the event.

“The aim was to transcend political, religious and social differences,” said Childers. “The Tibetan delegation’s attendance marked the first time that female Tibetan athletes ever competed in an international event, and the first time Tibetan athletes of any sex have competed with Chinese athletes post-1959.”

“For Tibet Women’s Soccer, football is definitely a political act,” she explained. “These young women have been told not to play football. They have been told that football is important for boys, and not for girls by leaders in the community. Their progress has been blocked and stifled in many ways by the people in charge. But when these young women made the decision to play football despite all the opposition, it is very much a political act.”

“My mother and I marched to the Nepal-Tibet border with [my brother], to raise awareness of Tibetan rights. Since [2008], Tibetans are not welcome in Nepal,” midfielder Lhamo Kyi explained to the South China Morning Post. “The Nepalese army put a gun to [my brother’s] head. He told the soldiers they could kill him, so long as they didn’t kill me and my mum. They sentenced my brother to five years in jail � two years ago he disappeared. Now, I play football for him.”

Lhamo is only 18 years old, but her stories belie her age. Like many others involved with the team, the “Free Tibet” movement has a deeply personal meaning for Lhamo. While the players may not be the world’s best athletes, they are driven by something far greater than sports � they compete with a purpose.

In 2014, Steve Taylor, PhD, wrote a piece for Psychology Today, and I believe it’s particularly relevant here. Taylor asked:

“Why has the world become more peaceful? It may be partly due to the nuclear deterrent, the demise of Communist Bloc, increased international trade and commerce, the growth of democracy� But sport is most likely an important factor too. It’s surely not a coincidence that, over the 75 years of this steady decline in conflict, sport has grown correspondingly in popularity. The excitement and intoxication which was once derived from warfare� The heroism and loyalty or feeling of being “more alive” on the battlefield can [also] be gained from the athletic or football field.”

If Taylor is correct, if war might be avoided through sport, then I welcome every event with open arms. I would even watch curling if it could one ounce of bloodshed. I believe most people would join me in that statement.

I don’t know if will make a tangible impact on their relationship with China, but I look forward to the day when I can tell people “I just watched the Tibetan National Team play their first real international match.”

[Photo via TibetanReview.net]