Jammu and Kashmir CM proud as Gulmarg hosts Khelo India Winter Games for sixth consecutive year

The Gulmarg leg of the Khelo India Winter Games is being held from February 23 to 26, with top Indian skiers, including Winter Olympians, participating in various snow sports disciplines.

Speaking to reporters, Omar Abdullah said that hosting the Games for the sixth straight year is a major achievement and reinforces Gulmarg's status as a premier winter sports destination in the country.

"This is a big thing in itself that the Khelo India Winter Games are being held in Gulmarg for the sixth consecutive time. This shows that there is no better place than this for winter games," Omar Abdullah said.

However, he acknowledged changing weather conditions, noting that warmer temperatures in February were once unimaginable. He added that adapting to these changes is necessary and that facilities like artificial snow may be required in the future to successfully conduct winter games.

"But it is true that the weather conditions are changing. Earlier, we could not even imagine Gulmarg to be so hot in February, but this is a reality and we have to accept it. I have spoken about the steps we need to take going forward in this speech. All the winter games held in the world today are not possible without artificial snow...so somewhere we will have to provide such facilities here too," he added.

The Khelo India Winter Games 2026 in Gulmarg is also being seen as a reflection of the Khelo Bharat Niti, a sports policy launched by the Union Sports Ministry in July last year.

Apart from enhancing infrastructure, talent identification and international competitiveness, the Khelo Bharat Niti is aimed at leveraging sports for economic development and boosting industries such as tourism, manufacturing and sports technology.

The Khelo India Winter Games journey in Gulmarg so far tells its own story. In the first edition in March 2020, 1123 athletes competed in 13 disciplines. Jammu and Kashmir led the medal count, showing their strength. In 2021, 1208 athletes took part, and J-K won 18 gold medals.

By 2023, participation peaked at 1395 athletes, with J-K taking home 26 gold, 25 silver, and 25 bronze medals. Although the 2024 and 2025 editions had fewer disciplines and participants, the competition became more intense with Army, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka producing great performances. Gulmarg did not lose energy; it increased it. (ANI)