Khelo India calendars have replaced hartal calendars in Kashmir: Manoj Sinha

Three-day Khelo India Water Sports Festival started here on Thursday. Over 400 athletes and 300 supporting staff from across the country will participate in different water sports in Dal Lake till August 23.

J&K CM Omar Abdullah, Union minister Raksha Nikhil Khadse and LG Manoj Sinha were present at the inaugural event held at SKICC on the banks of Dal Lake. The mascot of this Khelo India water sports festival is inspired by Himalayan Kingfisher.

Officials said athletes from 36 states and Union Territories will participate in the competitive sports events, including rowing, canoeing, kayaking, water skiing, dragon boat and shikara race. The events had been organised jointly by the Sports Authority of India and J&K Sports Council


“Athletes from across the country have to go back as ambassadors of J&K and inform people that youth here is living a new life. We no longer have calendars for strikes, but for Khelo India games like this,” said Sinha adding, “Now the voice of youth is not heard on the streets of Kashmir but in the sports arenas.”

The festival officials said is expected to bring benefits not just to athletes and coaches but also to the wider tourism ecosystem. “Dal Lake is our identity and it has a long and traditional connection with the water sports. Khelo India Water sports is a new chapter in this tradition,” said Abdullah. He hoped that the athletes will form lifelong relations here and this water sports event will continue for many more years.

“This is the first national water sports event here. I am witness to this great event at this beautiful place. We have just started the Khelo Bharat policy. We want sports culture and sports tourism to spread across the country,” said Khadse, who informed that over 400 athletes and 300 supporting staff from across the country are present here.

The minister said that Kashmir is known for winter sports and we want it to become the capital for water sports as well. “We will do many more water sports events here in the coming days,” she added. The minister said that such events also help in talent identification so that they can perform on other big platforms as well. "The National Sports Governance Bill passed in this session will ensure we support promising athletes including the females," she said.