1st Place winner
Baseball in Bhutan
DESCRIPTION
With Buddha (a symbol of inspiration) in the backdrop, teenagers engage in a spirited game of baseball in Thimphu, Bhutan. Clad in the nation's traditional noble attire, they embody the harmonious blend of tradition and modernity that defines Bhutan.The photo encapsulates a journey that commenced in 2010 when baseball was first introduced to Bhutan; in support of HRH’s vision to develop a sports culture in the Last Shangri-La. Even today, facing limited access to fields, the featured teenagers persist in their passion with a pickup game on concrete, reminiscent of the days when all games were played on it.
Beyond the diamond, however, Bhutan grapples with economic challenges post COVID, prompting a significant portion of its population to seek opportunities abroad. Faced with this juncture in development, HM unveiled his plan for Bhutan's Mindfulness City—a novel economic center crafted to harmonize modern living with Bhutanese philosophy.
How can the flourishing sports culture contribute to this endeavor? Because of the emigration, the featured players once had a team of 30 that has now dwindled to 9; underscoring the importance of creating job prospects within the realm of sports. Nonetheless, some athletes have remained in Bhutan in faith that sport opportunities will arise due to its fast-rising culture. This year marks a testament to the unwavering dedication, as the first two Bhutanese players secured scholarships for higher education, while another became the first to sign professionally.
Embedded in the Bhutanese athletes is Buddha's philosophy, "Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it."
AUTHOR
Matt is one of Bhutan's long-residing non-natives with a relationship with Bhutan dating to adolescence. He has spent the past thirteen years living within its city, villages and wilderness, sharing life with its kind-hearted people and exploring its untamed landscapes. With television/internet only being introduced to Bhutan in 1999/2000, photography served as an early means of connection; capturing and sharing moments with newfound friends along the way.As the founder of Bhutan’s boutique luxury travel designer/outfitter, MyBhutan, and a technology company supporting its service sector, Beyul Labs, Matt has dedicated his professional life to Bhutan’s growth and development. Additionally, he founds and leads various nonprofit projects, including a national preservation initiative aimed at documenting, digitizing, and archiving Bhutan's tangible cultural art and religious history, multi-districts afforestation projects, the introduction of baseball to Bhutan and its establishment into a national sport, and founding/chairing of The Explorers Club Bhutan Chapter. Matt also volunteers time as the U.S. Warden of Bhutan.
An avid explorer, Matt has surveyed some of the most unexplored regions of the Himalayas. His expeditions have reached beyond Bhutan as well. In 2019, Matt was part of the expedition team honored with the Citation of Merit from the Explorers Club for their expedition that covered 1,300 miles of the Gobi Desert with the Mongolian Academy of Sciences in a first to apply NASA imaging and mapping technologies. The expedition made major headlines for discovering 3 new dinosaur species, over 250 new fossil locations and scores of specimens.
