To turn height into a competitive advantage, the Bhutan Olympic Committee has launched an initiative called Junior Giants of Bhutan. The nationwide sports programme focuses on identifying and nurturing tall youths from across the country to become future-ready athletes. As part of the effort, a six-day development camp kicked off in the capital yesterday, bringing together selected participants for intensive coaching and skill development.
20 youths are taking part in the six-day Junior Giants Talent Development Camp.
It focuses on specialised sessions in sports such as athletics, basketball, archery, and volleyball in collaboration with relevant national sports federations, ensuring quality training and talent evaluation across disciplines.
Participants aged nine to 18 were selected through online and field-based registrations, targeting tall youth from both urban and remote parts of Bhutan.
“It is mainly to promote tall youth’s engagement towards sports. We are trying to encourage tall athletic youths to participate in this programme. We have an age and height criterion. For example, if you are nine years old, we have a certain criterion of age that you have to fall within,” said Sonam Tobgay, Coordinator, Bhutan Olympic Committee.
The programme offers professional mentorship, sports-specific training, and exposure to high-performance environments, laying a foundation for a new generation of future-ready athletes.
“The reason I joined Junior Giants is to pursue athletics, and I am here looking forward to making friends and getting better in most of the sports,” said Kelson Ugyen Wangchuk, Participant.
“I feel like Bhutan is really making an effort, trying to give our youth a chance to participate in global sports, not just our traditional sports like archery. So, I thought it was a very good use of my time during summer vacation,” said Jigme Dorji Loday, Participant.
“I learned that sports are also important as same as education because they keep us mentally and physically stable. Moreover, we will get more opportunities such as scholarships and even have a chance to get on the National team,” said Sonam Yangzom, Participant.
According to the officials, participants who show exceptional talent and skill in a particular sport will have the opportunity to receive further training and may even go on to represent the country at an international level.
Namgay Wangdi
Edited by Sonam Pem
