For a change, Kashmir’s tourist destination Gulmarg is teeming with sportsmen from 27 States and Union Territories (UTs), who have converged on the snow-bound slopes for the second Khelo India National Winter Games.
The winter games that are organised by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, in collaboration with the J&K Sports Council and the Winter Games Association of J&K, will start from February 26 to March 2.
Multiple events
An official told The Hindu that around 1200 athletes and guests from across the country will participate in multiple events, which will include snowshoe race, ice skating, ice hockey, skiing, Nordic ski, snowboarding, ski mountaineering, ice stock etc.
Around 840 athletes will compete in these sporting events, being held for the second time in a bid to promote sports activists and adventure tourism in the region.
“The mega sports event is one of the many efforts aimed at engaging the youth in positive and constructive activities," a spokesman of the J&K Sports Council said.
Athletes from the Indian Army and the Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering and Winter Sports will also participate in the event.
Gulmarg has a bed capacity of 1300 and all the rooms are booked, which has brought cheer on the faces of hoteliers.
An official said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to e-inauguration the games.
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