Khelo India Winter Games Open in Leh with 1,000 Participants

Khelo India Winter Games Open in Leh with 1,000 Participants

More than 1,000 men and women, including athletes, coaches and technical officials, will take part in the Ladakh leg of the 2026 Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG), which begins in Leh on Tuesday, according to a PIB handout.

The Games will continue till January 26, with competitions spread across the Nawang Dorjan Stobdan (NDS) Stadium, the Army rink and the frozen Gupukh’s Pond. The opening ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.

As many as 472 athletes will compete in two ice sports—ice hockey and ice skating—with the latter seeing the introduction of figure skating for the first time at the Khelo India Winter Games. Figure skating is an Olympic discipline and is being viewed as a significant expansion of India’s winter sports programme. In the Ladakh leg of KIWG last year, the host UT topped the medal tally, winning four of the 13 gold medals on offer, followed by Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.

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The first leg of KIWG 2026 is being organised by the Youth Services and Sports Department of the Union Territory of Ladakh under the supervision of the Sports Authority of India. Technical expertise for the conduct of the Games is being provided by the respective national sports federations governing ice sports.

KIWG 2026 is the second event in this year’s Khelo India calendar. The first was the Khelo India Beach Games, held in Diu from January 5 to 10. Officials said the Leh leg will test athletes and support staff in demanding high-altitude conditions, including sub-zero temperatures and low oxygen levels.

Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya said the back-to-back Khelo India events reflect growing momentum in Indian sport. “The year has begun with strong momentum for Indian sport, with two Khelo India Games being conducted in the opening month. The Khelo India Winter Games add another important dimension by creating competitive avenues in winter sports, an area that historically had limited exposure in India,” he said, attributing the growth to sustained government focus.

Ice hockey remains the marquee event in Ladakh, but the inclusion of figure skating has generated particular interest. At the Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China, last year, India fielded its largest-ever contingent of 59 athletes, including 23 ice skaters. US-based Tara Prasad finished eighth overall—India’s best result in figure skating at the Asian Games—while Manjesh Tiwari placed 15th in the men’s event.

“In Harbin, we may not have won medals but we showed that we can compete. More competition means more opportunities, and that’s why this edition of the Khelo India Winter Games is a milestone,” said senior national coach Mohammad Abbas Nordak from Ladakh.

Mandaviya added that the Khelo India programme will continue to expand with multiple formats in the coming months, beginning with the Khelo India Tribal Games next month. “The Khelo India calendar has now been finalised and institutionalised. This fixed competition cycle will be a game changer for the domestic sporting ecosystem,” he said.

A total of 21 states and Union Territories are participating in the Ladakh leg. Haryana (62), Himachal Pradesh (55) and hosts Ladakh (52) have the largest athlete contingents. Seventeen gold medals will be at stake, with 15 of them in ice skating disciplines. KASHMIR LIFE