SRI NAGAR: All is set for the snow-covered Gulmarg ski resort in Jammu and Kashmir to host the third edition of Khelo India Winter Games, India’s biggest winter sports extravaganza, from Friday.In the five-day event from February 10-14, about 1,800 players from across the country would participate in 11 different winter sports disciplines in Gulmarg in north Kashmir, which is covered with a thick blanket of snow after fresh snowfall on Thursday. 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.
On February 4, Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and Union Sports Minister 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.
An online registration portal with a feedback mechanism and customized mobile app has been developed, and hoardings with QR codes are being installed en route to facilitate the participating sportspersons and visitors.It will be the third time that the Khelo India winter games will be held in Gulmarg.
The Khelo India Winter Games was held in Gulmarg in March 2020, about seven months after the scrapping of J&K’s special status and bifurcation of J&K state by the Centre on August 5, 2019.
The second edition of the Khelo India Winter Games in Gulmarg was held in 2021.A top government official said all necessary arrangements like accommodation, lodging and other facilities for the players and team officials have been put in place.
He said the Khelo India games will not only encourage the youth of the Valley towards sports but also promote winter tourism in the Union Territory. With the mega sports event and tourists in large numbers visiting the snow-covered Gulmarg, all the hotels in the famous ski resort are fully booked with nearly 100 per cent occupancy.
A hotelier in Gulmarg said that the hosting of the Khelo India winter games in Gulmarg is a big boost for Kashmir tourism as it sends a message that Kashmir is a safe tourist destination. “Kashmir is also a better and cheaper destination as compared to tourist destinations in other parts of the world,” he added.
Khelo India Winter Games are the national level multidisciplinary grassroot winter games of India. These events include skiing, nordic skiing, alpine skiing, snow rugby, ice stock sport, snow baseball, snowshoe running, ice hockey, mountaineering, figure skating and speed skating.
Meanwhile, most areas in Kashmir received fresh snowfall on Thursday while the rest of the valley was hit by rains, bringing down the mercury levels, officials said here. The snowfall started on Wednesday night at Gulmarg ski resort in Baramulla district, where the game will be held.