The second leg of the 5th edition of the Khelo India Winter Games, originally scheduled to take place in Gulmarg from February 22-25, 2024, has been postponed due to a lack of sufficient snowfall.
The J&K Sports Council announced the update on social media on Monday, stating, “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 made once snow conditions improve, and the revised schedule will be shared accordingly.”
This marks the second consecutive year that the event has been delayed due to inadequate snowfall. Last year, the games were rescheduled for February after a dry January impacted snowfall.
The first leg of the Khelo India Winter Games 2024 was held in Leh from January 23 to 27, 2024, and featured ice sports such as ice hockey and ice skating. In this leg, Ladakh emerged with seven medals, including four gold, followed by Tamil Nadu with five medals, including three gold. Maharashtra secured the most medals (10) but only two golds, finishing third. Last year, Maharashtra topped the KIWG standings with 20 skating medals, including six golds. Telangana (2 golds) finished fourth, and Karnataka (1 gold) finished fifth in KIWG 2024.
The Khelo India Winter Games, which began in 2020, have grown in scale over the years. The inaugural edition saw nearly 1,000 athletes, including 306 women, competing. By 2021, participation had increased to more than 1,350 athletes, and in 2022, over 1,500 took part. In 2023, more than 1,200 participants were involved, including 700 athletes, 141 support staff, 113 technical officials, and 250-plus volunteers, with 136 medals on offer.
The 2023 Games also marked the first time the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, along with the Sports Authority of India, managed the technical conduct of the event in collaboration with National Sports Federations and the Indian Olympic Association.
Comments are closed.