Third edition of Khelo India Winter Games begins in Jammu and Kashmir's Gulmarg

Hundreds of athletes from 29 states and union territories (UTs) converged in north Kashmir’s ski resort of Gulmarg on Friday to participate in the third edition of Khelo India Winter Games.

The games are jointly organised by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council and Winter Games Association of J&K. The event will culminate on February 14 and athletes in 11 disciplines will participate in it.

The mega national winter event includes snow skiing, snow rugby, snow ice stock, snow baseball, snow mountaineering, snowshoeing, ice hockey, figure skating and speed skating. Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs, Anurag Singh Thakur, who inaugurated the event, announced that the expenses of all athletes will be taken care of by the government.

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He was excited at the prospect of the players representing India globally. “The games will not only encourage the youth of the Valley towards sports but also promote winter tourism in the Union Territory,” he said.

On the occasion J&K L-G Manoj Sinha said athletes will benefit from the event and the number of tourists will also increase. He also announced the e-launch of 40 Khelo India centres.

In 2020, the first edition of the Khelo India Winter Games, which was aimed to popularise winter games among the youth across the country, was held in Leh and Gulmarg, marking the first-of-its-kind event in India. The second edition of the Khelo India Winter Games in Gulmarg was held in February 2021.

On February 4, LG Sinha and Thakur launched the 3rd Khelo India National Winter Games anthem, mascot, and jersey. This year’s mascot, the Snow Leopard, depicts the vibrant heritage of the Himalayas.

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The Gulmarg meadow witnesses massive flow of foreign tourists especially during winters for skiing. With the mega sports event and tourists in large numbers visiting the snow-covered Gulmarg, all the hotels in the famous ski resort are booked with nearly 100% occupancy, much to the delight of people associated with tourism.

Gulmarg has received good snowfall this winter and is expected to have good weather conditions to support the mega event. The organizers have planned a number of cultural programmes besides setting up stalls of ethnic food and local crafts.