Excelsior Sports Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Feb 20: Amidst the snowflakes hitting the slopes without a break, the preparations for the Khelo India Winter Games continued unabated.
As the preparations for the Night Ski demo, which has been a traditional way all through the previous editions to warm up for the games were completed, the program had to be deferred as many athletes could not reach the venue due to the cancellation of several flights hit by bad weather.
Earlier in the day, despite the heavy snowfall the engineering team of CDK Sports Council after an initial assessment of the situation, meticulously planned for the execution of non-stop work to not affect the schedule. Though due to the heavy snowfall, it was difficult for the vehicles to move, the team made a quick decision and prepared a sledge to transport some of the required material to the inaugural venue without wasting any time.
Gulmarg Development Authority on the directions of its CEO Waseem Raja also aided the efforts by pressing snow groomers into the service despite heavy snowfall to facilitate the efforts of workers on the ground.
The administration also ensured that the roads leading to Gulmarg were cleared of snow and maintained properly for smooth traffic movement.
Meanwhile, Secretary Sports Council, Nuzhat Gull said that this event opens gates of opportunity not only for our athletes to showcase their talent but also to various stakeholders for whom Gulmarg is a source of livelihood. “What Khelo India Winter Games has done is that it has highlighted Gulmarg as not only one of the best winter sports destinations but also marked it as a much sought after tourist destination and as more and more people reach Gulmarg, the commerce in and around the area will grow manifold, benefiting the hundreds of households in the ensuing process,” Gull said.
The Secretary Sports Council also said that in the era of micro specializations, we are fine-tuning Gulmarg as one of the sought-after snow-related winter sports destinations not only in the country but globally as well.
Nuzhat Gull while speaking to one more media outlet at Highland Slopes where she was supervising the preparedness of the venue for the night ski demo said that the Gulmarg is ready to welcome the athletes and guests.)
“The games are also expected to boost the tourism and economy of the region,” said one of the hoteliers while speaking to the desk on the occasion.
The games are set to be inaugurated tomorrow and the events scheduled for the day include a Nordic sprint for women and a 10 kilometres distance race for men to be held at the Gulmarg Golf Course.
The signages and glow boards erected in and around the Gulmarg bowl and the Upper vat have made the Gulmarg colourful and pleasing to the eye said one of the tourists, Ritika Vaidya from Maharashtra.
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