Die Bogenschützin von Bhutan (360° - GEO Reportage)

In the Kingdom of Bhutan, archery is traditionally a male domain. It's all the more astonishing that a young woman, of all people, could make it to the top of the world: Tshering Choden is considered the country's most talented archer. If she proves her skills in a competition before the Olympic Committee, she will be allowed to travel to the Games this summer – and step from the isolated mountain state in the Himalayas into the international spotlight. "360° - The GEO Reportage" shows the 25-year-old archer in her fight for participation in the Olympic Games. A film by Holger Riedel © 2004, Licensed by MedienKontor / ARTE Subscribe to wocomoTRAVEL: https://goo.gl/tIk2Qc Follow us on Facebook:   / wocomo   Press release: Every village in Bhutan has its archery king, and almost every male resident of the country practices the art of bow and arrow – a relic from the Buddhist mountain tribe's warlike past. The draw weight of a bow can reach up to 30 kilograms, and the targets are 145 meters away. In a traditional competition, two villages compete against each other. Women merely serve as cheerleaders for the male competitors. This is still the case today in Radhi, a small village deep in the mountains of Bhutan, close to the Chinese border. With one exception: 25-year-old Tshering Choden, who comes from here and is training for the Olympics. But as a woman, she is excluded from the traditional showdown – even though she is preparing to present her country to the whole world. Her chances are good, because Tshering Choden is considered a virtuoso with the bow and arrow. Bhutan, the isolated country as large as Switzerland, surrounded by glaciated seven-thousanders, has only opened up to the outside world in recent years. As recently as 1960, a five-day hike was necessary to reach Bhutan. That was when King Wangchuk began his cautious modernization policy. To this day, he and his ministers determine how much external influence his people can tolerate, whether they are ready for electricity, television, or tourism. Industrialization is only tolerated if it does not violate the high environmental standards. Western development politicians consider the Himalayan state a model country, but the people only partially support the monarch. Many of the above-average educated young people – some of whom have studied abroad – feel patronized by the monarch's "eco-dictatorship." Tshering Choden's daily routine during her Olympic preparations is typical of the confluence of tradition and modernity in Bhutan. She firmly believes in demons and witches and that her temple visits and her prayer flag on the high Himalayan pass will influence the athlete's luck. At the same time, she trains with a professional coach and modern high-tech equipment. When an astrologer predicts her lack of luck in the qualifying competition in the capital, Thimphu, she is deeply concerned.