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New age sport: Players take part during 4th Khelo India Winter games at ski resort in Gulmarg February 21.
Buoyed by its successful record of hosting four national winter games, Kashmir’s snow-capped town of Gulmarg is vying to become the venue for international events such as the Asian Games this year. It also hopes to offer its powdery slopes as training venue to groom athletes for ski mountaineering, a sport that will make its debut in the 2026 Olympics in Italy.
Gulmarg’s snow meadows, first discovered by Sultan Yusuf Shah in the 16th century, have ski slopes at 2,730 metres above sea-level. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has now started the spade work to see Gulmarg become an international venue for the Asian Games and the Olympics., working on an international certification for its slopes, which are covered with the rare powdery snow considered essential for professional skiing.
“We have proposed it to the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (also known as FIS). The Gulmarg slopes need to be certified using international standards. Engaging the right people with technical knowledge can enable Gulmarg to host international events,” Olympian Shiva Keshavan, the founder-president of the Olympians Association of India (OAI).
‘Slopes must be groomed’
Once Gulmarg’s slopes are groomed by experts, it will start earning FIS points as a venue and can compete to host international events, including Olympics. “We want the FIS to survey slopes and identify changes. It has to start before next winter sets in,” Mr. Keshavan said.
Gulmarg now has six feet of snow for alpine skiing, and also has the best natural setting in terms of range of slopes and quality of snow. “The best ski resorts in the world have 30 centimetres of packed snow and are hosting world championships. However, one could see boulders coming out in Gulmarg. The ski resorts have to groom their slopes,” Mr. Keshavan said.
Highest international standards
India lags in the winter sports. Arif Khan from Kashmir was the only athlete to represent India in the 2022 Winter Olympics. Though winter sports were introduced in the country in the early 1980s, they has not attracted athletes on the scale that other sports have.
“We should have been at a higher level. We are focussing on Olympics sports. This year, we ensured that Gulmarg offers highest standards and abides by certain international guidelines, for example, the timing and the course length,” Mr. Keshavan said.
Gulmarg will become a place to train athletes for ski mountaineering, a sport making its debut in the Olympics in 2026. “Ski mountaineering is an incredible new age sport. It’s closer to nature and may not even require ski lift. We are preparing for the sport,” Mr. Keshavan said.
Widespread interest
For centuries, Gulmarg remained limited to ski training only. However, the introduction of the Khelo India Winter Games in March 2020 started drawing athletes from across the country. Over 5,000 athletes have participated in four editions of the national winter games and put a spotlight on snowboarding, Alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, and ski mountaineering.
This year, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) joined hands with the J&K Sports Council to organise these events and scout for future athletes.
“The last three Khelo India Winter Games were more of promotional events with no real criteria for entry. But we are focusing on Olympic sports and certain eligibility criteria are in place for athletes. Gulmarg is offering a launch pad for elite level athletes to get familiar with a higher level of competition, so that if they go abroad, it’s familiar territory,” Mr. Keshavan said.
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