The second leg of the 5th edition of the Khelo India Winter Games, scheduled to be held in Gulmarg from February 22, 2024, has been postponed due to insufficient snowfall.
The J&K Sports Council shared the update on social media on Monday. “The 5th edition of the Khelo India Winter Games, initially set for February 22-25, 2024, has been postponed due to insufficient snowfall. A new assessment will be conducted once snow conditions improve, and the revised update will be announced accordingly,” the council wrote on X.
This marks the second consecutive year that the event has faced rescheduling due to inadequate snowfall. Last year, the games had to be pushed to February after a dry January.
The first leg of the Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG) 2024 was held in Leh from January 23 to 27, featuring ice sports such as ice hockey and ice skating.
In the first leg, Ladakh bagged seven medals, including four gold, followed by Tamil Nadu with five medals, including three gold. Maharashtra finished with the highest number of medals (10), but with only two gold medals, they finished third. Maharashtra finished on top in KIWG 2023, winning 20 skating medals, including six gold. Telangana (2 gold) finished fourth, and Karnataka (1 gold) finished fifth in KIWG 2024.
The Khelo India Winter Games started in 2020. Almost 1,000 athletes, including 306 women, participated in the inaugural edition. Participation has increased over the years, with more than 1,350 athletes in 2021 and over 1,500 in 2022, highlighting the growing attraction of the Games in J&K.
The 2023 iteration of KIWG saw the participation of over 1,200 participants, including more than 700 athletes, 141 support staff, 113 technical officials, 250-plus volunteers, and sports-specific volunteers, with a total of 136 medals at stake.
This was also the first time that the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, along with the Sports Authority of India, managed the technical conduct of the Games in association with the National Sports Federations and Indian Olympic Association.
(Inputs from IANS)
