Sinha Inaugurates 6th Khelo India Winter Games at Gulmarg
“Around 1,000 Athletes participating in four-day even”
“Winter games have become a national integration platform”
Gulmarg: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday said Jammu and Kashmir’s sports sector has seen major growth in recent years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, citing expanded infrastructure and grassroots programmes across the Union Territory.
Inaugurating the four-day national winter sports event, LG Sinha said that under Modi’s leadership, the Union Territory has witnessed the creation of state-of-the-art sports infrastructure, expansion of grassroots training networks, and a renewed policy thrust aimed at integrating youth into mainstream national platforms.
“Over the past few years, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Jammu and Kashmir has seen a paradigm shift in sports development. Once unimaginable facilities are now a reality for our youth,” he said.
LG Sinha pointed to infrastructure created under the Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP) and the establishment of 100 Khelo India Centres across J&K as key drivers of change.
He said the twin initiatives have “redefined the sporting landscape” of the region by ensuring access to modern training facilities, professional coaching and structured competition at multiple levels.
The Khelo India Winter Games, being held at India’s premier winter sports destination, around 1,000 athletes and officials from various states and Union Territories are competing in alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, snowboarding and ski mountaineering.
LG Sinha described the Games as more than a sporting competition, calling it a “national festival” that reflects India’s unity in diversity. “Khelo India Winter Games revive the ideals of peace, equality and camaraderie. In a nation of many languages, cultures and traditions, sports serve as a universal language,” he said.
Focusing on the larger message of national integration, the Lieutenant Governor said the broader aim of the Winter Games is to strengthen unity by bringing together athletes from diverse regions.
“When young sportspersons train together, compete fiercely and cheer one another, barriers of language and region dissolve before the sporting spirit,” he said.
Drawing a parallel between winter sports and life’s challenges, Sinha noted that skiing disciplines demand resilience, discipline and courage.
“Winter Games at Gulmarg mirror life’s raw challenges, falling, analysing errors and rising stronger. True character is revealed not just in victory but in adversity. Athletes should uphold the highest standards of sportsmanship,” LG Sinha said.
Addressing participants directly, he said performance on the slopes would define them. “On these ski slopes of Gulmarg, your identity rests solely on your skill, discipline and grit. Here, new champions are forged.”
LG Sinha added that by the closing ceremony on February 26, the success of the Games should be measured not merely in medals but in the spirit of excellence and unity displayed by the participants.
The event comes at a time when Gulmarg continues to be projected as a flagship winter tourism and sports destination. Officials said the Games are expected to boost the region’s sporting profile nationally while also contributing to winter tourism.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Minister for Youth Services and Sports Satish Sharma, senior civil and police officials, representatives of the Sports Authority of India and members of the J&K Sports Council were present at the inaugural ceremony.
