By the time the bugle echoes across the frozen valley, the contest often feels decided. From the high-altitude rinks of Leh to the powder-white slopes of Gulmarg, one constant that has defined the modern era of the Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG) is the quiet, disciplined dominance of the Indian Army.
As the Gulmarg leg of the sixth edition of KIWG unfolds on Monday, the Army’s story is no longer about participation. It is about supremacy. Launched in 2020 under the central government’s flagship Khelo India initiative, the Games aimed to mainstream snow and ice sports.
In just six editions, however, they have built an alpine identity of their own, with the Army as its relentless protagonist.
The first three editions (2020, 2021 and 2023) were hosted and won by Jammu and Kashmir. The Army was competitive, but 2024 marked the shift. They stormed the standings with 10 gold, five silver and six bronze medals, not merely a medal haul, but a declaration.
By 2025, they had evolved into the benchmark, topping the table with 18 medals (seven gold, five silver, six bronze). Himachal Pradesh matched the overall tally, but gold determines the championship. The Army had more.
In Nordic skiing at KIWG 2025, the Army delivered a clinical sweep, claiming every medal in the men’s 1.4 km sprint, 10 km and 15 km races. In the sprint, Manjeet took gold, Shubam Parihar silver and Sunny Singh bronze. The pattern repeated in the longer distances. In alpine skiing, Sunil Kumar added gold to the tally.
On why the Army has been dominating the Khelo India Winter Games, Indian Army coach Nadeem Iqbal Mirza said, “It is possible due to the year-round rigorous training schedule and the full support of the institution of the Indian Army to the athletes.”
Mirza said that in summer, when snow melts from the Pir Panjal, Army athletes switch to punishing conditioning that includes roller skiing, gym work, and altitude endurance cycles. “The Army’s infrastructure like snow groomers, snow scooters, and ski lifts creates near-European training environments in Himalayan terrain,” Mirza said. “We also send our athletes to train outside the country. During the last three years, we sent our athletes to train in Italy and Sweden.”
Local skier Arif Ahmad offered another reason: “Soldiers stationed for years in Kashmir and Ladakh understand the slopes, the snow behaviour, the weather shifts. They live in the altitude others visit.”
With 39 medals across the last two editions, including 17 gold, the Army’s dominance is no longer episodic. In India’s growing winter sports story, olive green has become the defining colour.