Gulmarg, Feb 28: The General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps, Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai on Wednesday stated that the Indian Army was trying to promote the homegrown talent in Kashmir.
The GoC 15 Corps was referring to Chinar Open Winter Games-2024, which was held at snow-clad Gulmarg meadows wherein the young athletes exhibited their skiing talent.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the function, GoC Rajiv Ghai said the winter games are a small initiative of the Indian Army to promote homegrown talent within Kashmir.
“It is a small step and a beginning. We will make it better as the years pass by. We have started it and we will make it better and better as we progress forward,” he told reporters.
About the passion among youth for adventure sports, the GoC said it was thrilling and exhilarating to watch how much talent there is among youth in Kashmir as far as winter sports is concerned.
“It was beautiful to witness the amazing performances today. It is very encouraging to see this and I am very happy to see that the Indian Army is making a small contribution towards it,” he said.
Regarding the participation of girls in the skiing competition, GoC Rajiv Ghai said they want girls to receive as much motivation as possible.
“It was nice to see that girls actively participated and took a significant role, even surpassing boys,” he said.
GoC Rajiv Ghai was fascinated with the breathtaking snow-clad slopes of Gulmarg’s higher reaches and said Gulmarg is known as a dream destination and it is wonderful to see the area draped with snow.
Notably, the Indian Army organised a day-long Chinar Open Winter Games at the High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) in Gulmarg.
The day-long skiing competition was organised to provide a platform for the local youth to showcase their talent in winter sports and build a spirit of camaraderie.
The day-long function witnessed girls and boys participating in X- X-country skiing, Snowboarding, Ice Skating, Slalom and Giant Slalom.
Talking to Greater Kashmir, Rowshak, a class 9th student of Tyndale Biscoe and Mallinson school shared her exciting first experience of her participation in the skiing competition.
“I enjoyed it a lot as this was my first experience. All the participants were properly taken care of by the organisers (Indian Army),” she said.
She said the day-long event provided an opportunity to all the participants to exhibit their talent on the snow-clad slopes of the world-famous ski resort Gulmarg.
“The participation was free of cost. There were no hard and fast rules on booking accommodations. Most of the participants booked their accommodations as per their wish,” she said.
Around 676 athletes participated in the day-long event and descended upon the snow-clad slopes of the Gulmarg to showcase their talent in the event. Their skills and techniques left spectators overwhelmed.
The day was marked with the display of skills as the participants navigated the challenging terrains while displaying their skiing and snowboarding talent.
Hazika Tarooq of Srinagar won the first position in Giant Slalom in the below 18 categories for females, while Vakar Ahmad Lone from Baramulla won a gold in Snowboarding.