Gulmarg, March 9 IANS) The 'Khelo India Winter Games 2025' will kick off here on Sunday with the snowclad peaks of Gulmarg providing the perfect backdrop.
Jammu and Kashmir Lt. Governor, Manoj Sinha, who is arriving here from Jammu, is scheduled to preside over the inaugural function.
Sunday's final phase of Khelo India Winter Games 2025 is set to deliver electrifying performances and further elevate the status of winter sports in India.
Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG) are the national-level multidisciplinary grassroots winter games of India. Events include skiing, alpine skiing, nordic skiing, snow rugby, Ice stock sport, snow baseball, mountaineering, snowshoe running, ice hockey, figure skating and speed skating.
It was decided to hold the first Khelo India Winter Games in 2020 after the success of multiple editions of the Khelo India Youth Games.
The first leg of the KIWG-2025 competitions saw UT of Ladakh emerge as the overall leader securing seven medals, including four golds.
Tamil Nadu followed with five medals, including three golds, while Maharashtra won a total of 10 medals, but with only two golds finishing third.
Now, with the final leg set in Gulmarg, the Army is determined to bounce back and defend its overall title.
With over 350 athletes representing 11 states, two Union Territories, and central forces such as the Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the stakes are high.
The competition features four key disciplines: Alpine Skiing, Nordic Skiing, Ski Mountaineering, and Snowboarding.
Delayed earlier due to insufficient snowfall, the event now returns with pristine white slopes setting the stage for a grand spectacle.
The inauguration of the event scheduled from February 22 to 25 had to be postponed due to the absence of sufficient snow in Afarwat slopes and the main bowl in Gulmarg.
Local athletes will also compete across four disciplines - alpine skiing, nordic skiing, ski mountaineering, and snowboarding.
The first leg of the games was successfully held in Ladakh from January 23 to 27, where ice hockey and ice skating events took place at NDS Sports Complex and Guphuk Pond.
A multi-layered security arrangement has been put in place to ensure safe, smooth and successful conduct of the event.
Athletes and officials from different parts of the country are participating in the games while security forces, including Jammu and Kashmir Police, paramilitary CRPF and sleuths from other security forces have been deployed in and around Gulmarg under a well-coordinated multi-tier security plan.
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