Khelo India Winter Games in Gulmarg postponed due to insufficient snow

Srinagar, Feb 17: The second leg of the 5th edition of the Khelo India Winter Games, scheduled to be staged in Gulmarg from February 22, has been postponed due to insufficient snowfall. J&K Sports Council shared the development on social media on Monday. "The 5th edition of the Khelo India Winter Games, initially set for February 22-25, 2025, has been postponed due to insufficient snowfall. A new assessment will be conducted once snow conditions improve, and the revised update will be announced accordingly," it wrote on X.

This marks the second consecutive year that the event has faced rescheduling due to inadequate snowfall. Last year, the games had to be pushed to February after a dry January. The first leg of the Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG) 2025 was held in Leh from January 23 to 27, featuring ice sports such as ice hockey and ice skating. In the first leg, Ladakh bagged seven medals, including four gold and were followed by Tamil Nadu with five medals including three gold. Maharashtra finished with the maximum number of medals (10) but only two gold medals meant they finished third. Maharashtra finished on top in KIWG 2024, winning 20 skating medals including six gold. Telangana (2 gold) finished fourth and Karnataka (1 gold) fifth in KIWG 2025.

The Khelo India Winter Games started in 2020. Almost 1000 athletes, including 306 women, took part in the inaugural edition. The participation has increased over the years. More than 1350 athletes in 2021 and 1500-plus in 2022 highlighted the growing attraction of the Games in J&K. The 2024 iteration of KIWG saw the participation of 1200-plus participants including more than 700 athletes, 141 support staff, 113 technical officials, 250-plus volunteer and sports-specific volunteers and a total of 136 medals at stake. This (2024) was also the first time the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India along with the Sports Authority of India managed the technical conduct of the Games in association with the National Sports Federations and Indian Olympic Association.