To mark the beginning of the 5th National Winter Games, scheduled to be held in Gulmarg from February 17th to 22nd, the torch relay ceremony of the event formally inaugurated by IOA President, Suresh Kalmadi here on Tuesday.
The six-day-long torch run will en route Dehradun, Shimla, Jammu and Srinagar before reaching at Gulmarg on February 17. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President, Suresh Kalmadi officially flagged-off the Games by passing the torch to Gul Mustafa Dev, the lone Olympian of J&K state.
Gul Mustafa had represented India in 15th Winter Olympic Games in Calgary, Canada and 1st Winter Asian Games in Saparo, Japan. Over 500 participants are also expected from several states across the country to take part in this event.
The states of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh have already confirmed their participation besides competitors from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Border Security Force (BSF) and the Army.
Launching the biggest winter sports extravaganza of the country, IOA President Kalmadi said, "IOA’s motive is to promote tourism in Gulmarg through this Winter Games ".
"Peace can be achieved through sports and we are also planning to host an international event in Gulmarg and to invite our neighbour Pakistan for the event," Kalmadi said.
This is the third time that Gulmarg will be going to host the Winter Games, after organising the first Games decade back in 1998 and again in 2004. The other two Games were held in Shimla in Himachal Pradesh and Auli in Uttarakhand.
According to WGFI’s General Secretary, RK Gupta, "Our main aim is to spread awareness about the Winter Games among the youth."
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