The Ladakh leg of KIWG 2026, featuring ice sports such as skating and ice hockey, will run until January 26.
Photo: IANS
The sixth edition of the Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG) was officially inaugurated at the Nawang Dorjan Stobdan (NDS) Stadium in Leh on Tuesday, marking another significant step in India’s efforts to strengthen its winter sports ecosystem.
Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said the successful organisation of the Games “sends a clear national signal that winter sports are now an integral part of India’s competitive sporting framework and will be pursued with seriousness, scale and long-term intent.”
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The Ladakh leg of KIWG 2026, featuring ice sports such as skating and ice hockey, will run until January 26. This is the third occasion on which the Union Territory of Ladakh is hosting the Winter Games. The second leg, comprising snow-based events, will be held later this year in Gulmarg, Jammu & Kashmir.
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The opening ceremony was a vibrant affair, highlighted by traditional Ladakhi music and dance performances, along with an exhibition ice hockey match between Army XI and UT Ladakh. The Games were formally declared open by the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Kavinder Gupta.
The first phase 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, with technical support from national sports federations overseeing ice sports.
In a message to the hosts, Mandaviya congratulated Ladakh for once again staging the Games successfully.
“I congratulate the Union Territory of Ladakh for successfully hosting the Khelo India Winter Games once again and for demonstrating, with confidence and capability, that India’s winter sports future is being built from the Himalayas outward. Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ladakh has emerged as a symbol of what focused policy, infrastructure development and local commitment can achieve,” he said.
“The manner in which these Games have been organised sends a clear national signal that winter sports are now an integral part of India’s competitive sporting framework and will be pursued with seriousness, scale and long-term intent,” the Minister added.
Dr Mandaviya further explained the rationale behind the two-leg format of the Games.
“The Khelo India Winter Games 2026 have been deliberately designed as a two-leg competition, with ice sports in Leh followed by snow events in February at Gulmarg in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, to build depth, continuity and high-quality competitive exposure for athletes. This structure allows athletes to test themselves across varied terrains and conditions, closely aligned with international winter sports standards. Such sustained domestic competition is essential if India is to move beyond sporadic participation and steadily build credibility, consistency and competitiveness in winter Olympic disciplines over the coming years,” he said.
Addressing the gathering, Lieutenant Governor Gupta spoke about Ladakh’s progress in sports development under the Prime Minister’s leadership. “Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India’s sporting culture has received renewed impetus. Through the Khelo India initiative, youth empowerment, physical fitness and sporting excellence have been elevated as national priorities,” he said.
A total of 1,060 participants, including 480 athletes, are competing in KIWG 2026 across three venues — the refurbished NDS Stadium, Gupukh’s Pond and the Ladakh Scouts Regimental Centre rink. Figure skating, an Olympic discipline in which Indian athletes have shown encouraging international progress, has been introduced for the first time at the Winter Games, with several of the country’s top skaters in action.
The opening ceremony was attended by Mohd Jaffer Akhoon, Chief Executive Councillor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil; Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra; and senior officials of the Union Territory administration and the Sports Authority of India, among others.
Reiterating Ladakh’s growing focus on sports, LG Gupta highlighted recent policy initiatives. “Ladakh has recently been endowed with its first-ever Sports Policy. This policy focuses on talent identification at the school level; creating an inclusive sports ecosystem for women and Divyang athletes; strengthening the Ladakh Sports Council; providing a four per cent reservation in government jobs for outstanding sportspersons; assured scholarships; cash awards of up to ₹100 crore; development of international-standard sports infrastructure; expansion of centres of excellence; advanced training programmes; incentives for coaches; integration of sports with education; and the promotion of sports tourism. This policy will inspire the youth of Ladakh and provide them with pathways to pursue sports professionally,” he said.
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