Gulmarg: Indian Army emerged Khelo India Winter Games champions for a second year in a row with yet another strong show on the closing day of competitions here on Wednesday.
Indian Army clinched 18 medals (7 gold, 5 silver, 6 bronze) to defend their title.
A spirited Himachal Pradesh had to settle runner-up with 6 gold, 5 silver and 7 bronze medals. Union Territory of Ladakh came third with seven medals, comprising 4 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze.
Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, who gave away the champions trophy to Indian Army, announced during the closing ceremony the central government’s plans of converting Gulmarg into a winter sports hub.
“The government will put in all efforts to help elevate the level of sports in Jammu & Kashmir. We plan to create a sporting hub for winter sports here in Gulmarg to give the youth of Jammu & Kashmir the best opportunity and infrastructure to excel in sports,” he said.
He said Gulmarg has now also come to be known as India’s Winter Games city.
“I have visited many foreign countries and skiing destinations but I can tell you that Gulmarg is way better, way beautiful and one of the best tourist and skiing destinations in the world. We just have to use opportunities to make the destination even better,” he said in a sports ministry release.
Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also attended the closing ceremony.
Mandaviya said that he met sports ministers of 28 states, eight Union Territories and senior members of National Sports Federations recently to create a proper roadmap in the country’s bid to host the 2036 Summer Olympics.
The Winter Games saw Indian Army reigning supreme in the men’s Nordic skiing events, while Indo-Tibetan Border Police ruled the same discipline in women’s category.
The jawans, majorly stationed at the High Altitude Warfare School in Gulmarg, took advantage of local knowledge and acclimatisation to extreme weather conditions including continuous snowfall, strong chilly winds, threat of avalanches and poor visibility.
