Srinagar June 18, 2018: Winter Games Association of Jammu and Kashmir (WGAJK) in a statement on Monday said that the Indian Olympic Association has constituted an Adhoc Committee for Winter Games Federation of India. (WGFI) “The move is aimed to promote and develop Snow Sports, particularly Alpine Ski, Nordic Ski and Snowboarding in India.”
“The Adhoc Committee is holding an exclusive session with top office bearers of five North Indian states including J&K, HP, Uttrakhand, Delhi and Punjab on 20th of this month at New Delhi. Three office bearers of Winter Games Association of J&K, Abbas Wani, President/MLA Gulmarg; Muhammad Yusuf, General Secretary have been invited by the IOA to attend the exclusive discussions,” WGAJK said in a statement on Monday.
“For some time there has been internal bickering in the WGFI and many other constitutional crises took place which led the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Indian Olympic Association and International Ski Federation to suspend temporarily the recognition of WGFI. In order to amend the constitution of WGFI, hold fresh elections as per the National Sports Development Code and find out possibilities to develop winter sports in India the Adhoc Committee of IOA for WGFI is holding a special meeting on Wednesday,” reads the WGAJK statement.
Meanwhile, the WGAJK in its statement requested the J&K State Sports Council to treat winter sports at par with other summer sports games and spend adequate funds for development of infrastructure in this sport as well.
“They have requested the Council to arrange the homologation of ski slope at Kongdori-Gulmarg so that the resort qualifies for holding the international races here, setting up a Winter Sports Academy on the analogy of other sports academies, holding some national and international level championships at Gulmarg, providing sufficient funds for renovation of dormitory that was transferred to WGFJK by Tourism Deptt last winter, purchasing training and competition equipment, funding budding skiers for advanced training and coaching programs and sanctioning grant-in-aid for two female skiers who took part in last Asian Ski Championship at in Iran,” the statement added.
