Jammu and Kashmir finish top as Khelo India Winter Games conclude in Gulmarg
The union territory stood first for the second successive time
Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir won the maximum number of medals in the second edition of the Khelo India Winter national Games that just concluded at Gulmarg, in J&K. They won 11 gold, 18 silver and 5 bronze to finish with a tally of 34 medals.
More than 1000 athletes from various parts of the country participated in the mega five-day event, which was inaugurated on Friday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Karnataka bagged the second spot by winning five gold and four bronze medals. While Maharashtra came third with three gold, three silver and two bronze medals. Uttarakhand also ended with three gold, one silver and one bronze.
The ice hockey competition was hosted in the early hours of Tuesday, where ASCB (Army Sport Control Board) won Gold, ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) got silver and Ladah settled for Bronze.
In Slalom snowboard Rigzin Nurboo won gold, Vikar Rana bagged silver and Karan Singh clinched the bronze medal.
It was also announced that the third edition of the Khelo India WInter Games has also been allocated to Gulmarg.
Principal Secretary, Youth Services and Sports, Alok Kumar, stressed that Gulmarg will be made the hub of winter sports and potential players will be groomed for the winter Olympics in the same venue. Besides a National Centre of Excellence will also be set up in the same place.
It was also revealed that in the union territory of J&K, the government plans to build 40 sports centres in 20 districts.
The first edition of the Khelo India Winter Games was also held at Gulmarg in March 2020 and was a roaring success. The five-day event saw 955 athletes participate in the various events, with hosts Jammu & Kashmir topping the medal tally with 26 golds.
The Winter Games, seen as an avenue for the country’s winter athletes to earn national acclaim, is also directed at promoting tourism in the area.