Host a Team Burma Event
Team Burma events are being held around the world while the Olympics take place in Beijing (August 8-24, 2008). If you can’t find an event near you, we’ll give you everything you need to host a successful event, including a start-to-finish guide and all the materials
Giving Dictatorship in Burma a Good Kick
From August 8 to 24, while the Olympics are taking place in Beijing, 8-8-08 for Burma encourages people around the world to join Team Burma, an alternative to the team Myanmar competing in the Beijing Games. Team Burma events will center on global games of chinlone, the national sport of Burma, which will facilitate awareness-raising of Burma’s political and humanitarian crises, and share this fun and beautiful sport with the world.
- You should hold your event in a place with lots of foot traffic at the time of your event so that you can ask lots of people to play and sign up for more information.
- The ideal place is in a public area like a park or open square, where setting up a table won’t cause congestion or require a permit.
- You could also hold your event in a dense shopping area, near a tourist-friendly monument, or in front of a friendly grocery or natural foods store. Just think of the best place in your community to attract lots of Team Burma participants.
To get started, fill in your contact information below to receive a Team Burma Event Guide and a Team Burma chinlone ball.
After you press send, please consider making a donation of $35 to support 8-8-08 for Burma’s work, including organizing these Team Burma events.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Why Chinlone?
The national sport of Burma, chinlone is played throughout Burma – across ethnic and religious lines – and embodies unity and partnership.
What are the rules for Chinlone?
The rules are simple: don’t let the ball touch the ground and don’t use your hands. There are no points and no teams – the game is about demonstrating athleticism, grace, and skill. For beginners, it’s more importantly about having fun! And because there are no competing teams, in the end, everybody wins.
Why is Than Shwe’s picture on Team Burma’s chinlone balls?
Every time someone gives our chinlone balls a kick, he or she makes a statement about military dictatorship in Burma – that it needs a good kick.
After overseeing decades of oppression and atrocities; cracking down on non-violent protests in 1988, 1996, and 2007; and denying humanitarian aid to 2.4 million people affected by Cyclone Nargis in May of this year, Than Shwe and his regime are devoid of legitimacy in the eyes of their own people and the international community
