White wonderland Gulmarg readies for Khelo India Winter Games

Srinagar, Feb 10: As a late flurry of snow decked up the slopes of the famous ski resort of Gulmarg last week, preparations are in full swing to make the upcoming Khelo India Winter Games in Kashmir a resounding success.

With less than two weeks left for the 4th edition of this national-level multi-sport winter games competition, organisers are leaving no stone unturned to make this event grander than ever before.

From upgrading sports infrastructure to conducting specialised training camps and selection trials, the machinery is running to host over 1200 athletes from across India who will converge in Gulmarg to battle it out for podium finishes in various winter sports disciplines.

Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, VK Bidhuri, on preparations for the Khelo India Winter Games in Gulmarg, said "Preparations are going on in full swing to host the Khelo India Winter Games in Gulmarg. Earlier there were apprehensions about the snowfall. But with last week's heavy snowfall, Gulmarg is now absolutely ready to host this national winter games event. The snow deposits have decked up the slopes quite nicely and just in time. Our teams are now focused on finalizing the competition venues, athlete housing and transport logistics along with all the other nitty-grits."

The Divisional Commissioner expressed confidence that the winter sports infrastructure and natural snow conditions are perfect in Gulmarg to conduct the games this year too.

The Khelo India Winter Games 2024 is the fourth edition of the annual event in the Khelo India calendar. The Union Territory of Ladakh made its debut as hosts this year alongside the UT of Jammu & Kashmir, which has organised the Games since 2020.

Leh was the venue for the first part of the Games from February 2-6, hosting events such as ice hockey and speed skating. The Games will now move to Gulmarg between February 21-25, where sports like ski mountaineering, Alpine skiing, snowboarding, Nordic skiing and Gondola will take place.

The Khelo India Winter Games are part of the Khelo India Mission, a brainchild of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is the PM’s endeavour to give importance to all types of Olympic sports and produce a feeder channel of talented sportspersons who can shine for India at the highest levels of sporting excellence.