Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 13: Thirty-two member team of Mountaineering Association of J&K including two officials left for Delhi to participate in the 22nd North Zone Sport Climbing Championship scheduled to be held at Salwan Public School, Mayur Vihar, New Delhi, from tomorrow to October 17.
The team stands screened by the J&K State Sports Council.
Aman Dogra of J&K who represented the country in the Asian Youth Championship held at Tehran recently has, however, been exempted to participate in the zonal competition and will have a direct entry in the national competition.
The well balanced team led by Shashi Kant Sharma comprised 16 boys and 14 girls in six categories of men, women, boys, girls, sub junior boys and sub junior girls. Only two and three climbers have been selected in the boys and girls categories respectively, men and women categories have strength of 4 and 5 climbers respectively. The sub junior boys and sub junior girls, however, include 10 and 6 climbers respectively.
Akshay Sharma, a senior climber, is the coach of the team, Ram Khajuria, General Secretary of Mountaineering Association of J&K will be the overall in-charge of the team. The team has been sponsored by J&K State Sports Council.
Besides the usual lead and speed competitions, bouldering competitions will also be conducted in all the six categories. Earlier, sub junior boys and sub junior girls had been competing in lead climbing only.
After the North Zone Competition, a 28 member team of IMF North Zone Committee will be selected for participation in the National Climbing Competition to be held at Banglore from December 17 to 20.
The J&K team which has lately undergone rigorous training under a national coach, is expected to improve upon its last year’s performance in the Zonal Competition when it bagged 13 medals including 2 Gold and 6 silver.
Earlier, the team was given an emotional send off by the members of the Mountaineering Association of J&K Vice President Yogeshwar Kumar, Joint Secretary Shawetica Khajuria and Treasurer Sushil Singh and the staff of Sprawling Buds School including its and Director Rahul Sharma and Principal Arti Sharma.
Principal Arti Sharma exhorted the climbers to perform to their full potential and bring back the Champion’s Trophy which J&K lost in 2010 after winning it continuously for five years from 2005 to 2009.
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