[ Prafulla Kaman ]
RUMGONG, 18 Aug: The first edition of the Tapak Jonnom Memorial Running Football Trophytournament began at the Digong Tatak playground here in Siang district on Sunday.
Sixteen teams from different villages of the district are participating in the tournament.
The opening match was played between the Pangkeng football team and Bari FC, wherein Pangkeng won by 3-1 goals.
The tournament is sponsored by Pangin ADC Tajing Jonnom and his wife Tomik Jamoh Jonnom, in memory of their late father Tapak Jonnom, and organised by the Ritgong Banggo Solung Gidii Celebration Committee (RBSGCC) of Rumgong.
The organisers informed that the champion team of the tournament will get a cash prize of Rs 80,000,along with a trophy and a certificate, and the runner-up team will be given a cash prize of Rs 50,000,along with a trophy and a certificate.
The organisers will also reward the ‘best player team’, the highest scorer, and the best goalkeeper with cash amounts of Rs 10,000, along with certificates of honour.
Declaring the tournament open, Siang DDSE Oyi Borang Tatak asked the players to “maintain a sense of brotherhood.”
“Games and sports help in maintaining physical and mental health of the growing youths,” she said, and urged the players to “adopt a regular playing habit.”
The DDSE also urged parents to encourage their children in sports to keep them away from bad habits of narcotics and harmful drugs.
Jonnom, who recalled the social contributions of his late father, said that Tapak Jonnom was a first-batch school teacher of a government-run school from Rumgong area, and had worked for the development of primary education.
Among others, RBSGCC’s organising committee chairman Tamer Komut and sports secretary Talik Gamo also spoke.
