LG, CM likely to attend inaugural event
Irfan Tramboo
SRINAGAR, Feb 22: The Gulmarg leg of the Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG) 2026 will begin tomorrow, with around 800 participants, including more than 339 athletes, set to compete over four days in the snow-clad slopes.
Organised in collaboration with the J&K Sports Council, the competitions will run until February 26 and feature four disciplines – Alpine skiing, Nordic (cross-country) skiing, snowboarding and ski mountaineering.
Host J&K will field the largest contingent with 78 athletes, including 20 women.
Himachal Pradesh (53 athletes), Uttarakhand (42), and defending overall champions Army (38) will also have strong representation.
The Army enter the competition aiming to retain the overall title after topping the standings in the 2025 edition with 18 medals.
The J&K Sports Council has planned a ceremonial inauguration. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah are scheduled to attend the opening ceremony.
Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Dr Mansukh Mandaviya expressed confidence in the emerging talent expected to compete in Gulmarg.
“What motivates continued investment in the Khelo India mission is the discipline, commitment and competitive intent shown by our young athletes who aspire to build long-term sporting careers,” he said.
He highlighted that each edition of the Games has revealed new talent capable of strengthening India’s presence on the global sports stage. “The Winter Games are no different.”
Referring to performances in the Leh-Ladakh leg, he added that Gulmarg is expected to further demonstrate the growing maturity of India’s winter sports ecosystem.
Olympian Arif Khan termed the Games a significant opportunity for aspiring winter sport athletes.
“It is a significant opportunity for athletes aspiring to progress in winter sports. Gulmarg has consistently provided a competitive platform over the years,” he said.
He noted that to compete regularly at the highest level, further infrastructure development will be essential.
“Encouragingly, there is strong Governmental focus, and I am confident young skiers will leave a mark at KIWG 2026,” he said.
Among the athletes to watch is 17-year-old Jiah Aryan of Karnataka, a medallist in Alpine skiing at the 2024 edition, who recently topped the Giant Slalom event at the Chinar Open on the Kangdoori slopes.
Arif also highlighted three young skiers under his mentorship – Syed Zain and Faisal Lone from J&K and Sahil Thakur from Himachal Pradesh – as talents with strong long-term potential.
After the Ladakh leg of KIWG 2026, Haryana lead the medal tally with four gold medals, followed by Ladakh, Maharashtra and Telangana.
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