Thimphu, Bhutan, February 13, 2023: In its effort to promote the Hangzhou Asian Games among young people, art competitions were held across Asia, including Bhutan.
On February 8, children under the age of 13 gathered at VAST (Voluntary Artists Studio, Thimphu) to participate in the challenge.
The Bhutan Olympic Committee (BOC) organised the art competition as part of Hangzhou Asian Games 2022's mission to engage the entire Asian community in the games and make them more interactive.
Mrs. Karma Tenzin Choden, the Gallery Art Director at VAST Bhutan, stated that the competition provided an opportunity for children to explore their artistic abilities and receive mentorship from graduates of Fine Arts College.
“More than just promoting the Hangzhou Games, it was a way for our kids to express their creativity away from the strict rules of academics, thus fulfilling our objective, at the VAST, of fostering creativity in Bhutan,” said Mrs. Choden
The competition theme, “express imagination and understanding of the Hangzhou Asian Games,” allowed the kids to connect sports with the arts and emotions, which aligns with the spirit of Olympism that the BOC aims to instill in the youth.
“We are delighted to know that the approach we have taken with the art competition has proved to be effective, as some children even expressed an interest in taking art classes. We have successfully promoted the Asian Games and the spirit of Olympism through this art competition and also instill an interest in our youth to take up drawing and painting as a hobby,” said Mr. Sonam Karma Tshering, the Secretary General of the BOC.
A panel of judges from the BOC and VAST selected the top five drawings (three from girls and two from boys). The prizes were awarded by Mr. Jian Zhou, the Director of Media and Broadcast of the OCA.
