Gulmarg leg of KIWG 2026 set to be held from Feb 23

Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced that the Gulmarg leg of the Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG) 2026 will be held from February 23 to 26 in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. This will mark the sixth edition of the Khelo India Winter Games.

The first leg of KIWG 2026, featuring ice sports, was held in Ladakh from January 20 to 26, while Gulmarg will stage the snow sports competitions. The Indian Army will defend its overall championship title in Jammu & Kashmir.

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“The Gulmarg leg is coming at the back of the Winter Olympics, and this is the perfect time to host the Khelo India Winter Games. We had a very successful first phase in Leh (Ladakh), and surely, we will see the same excitement in Jammu & Kashmir as athletes will once again battle with nature and challenging conditions,” said Dr Mandaviya.

“Every season of the Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG) has seen exciting performances and rising competition. In Leh, the addition of figure skating enhanced the competitive intensity, and in Gulmarg, we are expecting some impressive timings on the Kongdoori slopes,” he added.

Before the introduction of the Khelo India Winter Games, winter sports in India had limited visibility, minimal public engagement and lacked structured competition. Ice and snow disciplines largely remained niche, with sporadic international participation and limited awareness.

The Khelo India Winter Games have since reshaped the winter sports landscape by establishing a national competitive platform for both ice and snow disciplines. Participation levels, performance standards, and public interest have expanded significantly, transforming what was once a marginal segment into a developing talent pipeline.

This shift is reflected in international performances. Indian winter athletes have begun securing podium finishes and delivering competitive displays abroad. Indian figure skater Tara Prasad has claimed medals at international competitions, while the Indian women’s ice hockey team secured a historic bronze medal at the 2025 IIHF Women’s Asia Cup, India’s first-ever podium finish in an international ice hockey championship. The team also recorded landmark victories during the tournament, underlining the rapid progress in ice sports at the global level.

These achievements underline how the Khelo India Winter Games are building a stronger foundation for sustained international participation, moving India beyond a phase where Winter Olympics representation was often limited to one or no athletes. With regular domestic competition and exposure to high-pressure environments, depth across disciplines is expected to grow further.

The timing of the Gulmarg leg of KIWG 2026 is significant, as it follows the Winter Olympics Milano Cortina 2026, where India is represented by alpine skier Arif Khan and cross-country skier Stanzin Lundup. The scheduling helps carry global momentum into the domestic winter calendar and sustains athlete motivation and public interest in winter sports development.

Gulmarg will host four medal disciplines — Ski Mountaineering, Alpine Skiing, Nordic Skiing (Cross-Country) and Snowboarding — with around 400 athletes expected to compete. Alpine Skiing is set to draw the highest participation.

At the conclusion of KIWG 2025, the Indian Army topped the team standings with 18 medals, followed by Himachal Pradesh in second place. Ladakh, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu completed the top five. After the Ladakh leg of KIWG 2026, Haryana led the medal tally with four gold medals, all won by its figure and ice skaters, followed by Ladakh, Maharashtra, and Telangana.