Khelo India Winter Games will be taking place in Gulmarg, Jammu, and Kashmir from Feb 10-14. On Saturday, Union Minister Anurag Thakur took part in the official launch of the mascot, anthem & jersey of the Games with Lt Governor Manoj Sinha.
The Khelo India Winter Games is backed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and is conducted by the Jammu & Kashmir Sports Council as well as the Winter Games Association of Jammu & Kashmir.
A total of 1500 athletes across the country will be taking part in the games that will be held in Gulmarg. The first season of the Khelo India Winter Games took place in 2020 and hosts Jammu and Kashmir have sealed the top spot in both editions of the games. Seven different sporting disciplines had been chosen in an effort to popularise winter games among the youth of the country. The Games had Open Ice Hockey Championship, Figure Skating, and Speed Skating.
Earlier, speaking about the decision to organize the Games, the then Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju said: "There is no better means than sport to channelize the energy of the youth in the right direction. An initiative like this will not just be a great platform for the local youth to showcase their talent, but also give a chance to the youth from across the country participating in these events to witness the rich culture and natural beauty of these places in India."
"We have included disciplines like Ice Hockey, Figure Skating, Speed Skating, that are part of Olympics and with time we may also be able to produce champions in these disciplines in India. I am happy to announce the initiation of yet another Khelo India Games. This will be the third Khelo India Games in one year, and we plan to organise one for indigenous games as well."