Srinagar

Gulmarg located in the northern region of Kashmir Valley, is all set to host the third edition of the "Khelo India Winter Games." More than 1500 participants are expected to participate in the mega sports event scheduled to commence on February 10, 2023.

Recently, Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Anurag Thakur along with J&K Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, launched the 3rd Khelo India National Winter Games Anthem, mascot and jersey.  They expressed happiness over Gulmarg turning into a "Sports City" and it is in a position to host the largest ever contingent of 1500 players from across the country.

Great start with mesmerising lyrics and scenes of khelo india winter games . Keep the fervour up @OfficeOfLGJandK @ianuragthakur @IndiaSports @SarmadHafeez3 pic.twitter.com/ao7Fr9EreB

— Nuzhat gull (@nuzhatjehangir) February 5, 2023

Notably, the idea of holding the National Winter Games in J&K was implemented after the scrapping of Article 370, in 2019.

The first edition of the "Khelo India Winter Games" was held in Leh and Gulmarg in February and March 2020.  The event, which was the first of its kind in India, was organised to promote winter sports, which included skiing, Alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, snow rugby, ice stock sport, snow baseball, mountaineering, snowshoe running, ice hockey, figure skating and speed skating. The main purpose was to popularise winter games among the youth across the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February 2021 virtually inaugurated the second edition of the "Khelo India Winter Games" held at Gulmarg.

In his inaugural address, PM Modi stated that Gulmarg will prepare sportsmen for more prominent international platforms like the Olympics. More than 800 athletes from across the country participated in the 2021 event; this year, the number of participants doubled.

Meanwhile, in South Kashmir, two tournaments under the Khelo India program have been organized in the Tral region of India where athletes have participated in sports despite the cold and snow. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has mentioned the Snow Cricket Tournament held in Tral in the recent Mann Ki Baat program.

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A large number of youths from this area have been involved in sports activities for the past several years.