Mandaviya hails Khelo India Winter Games as over 1,000 athletes set to compete in Leh

More than 1,000 athletes, men and women, will compete in the Ladakh leg of the 2026 Khelo India Winter Games, which gets underway in Leh on Tuesday. The Nawang Dorjan Stobdan (NDS) Stadium, the Army rink and the frozen Gupukh’s Pond will serve as the main venues until the Games conclude on January 26.

A total of 472 athletes will feature in the two ice disciplines — ice skating and ice hockey. One of the highlights this year is the introduction of figure skating, an Olympic sport, adding a new dimension to the competition. In the Ladakh leg of the 2025 edition, the hosts topped the medal tally, winning four gold medals out of the 13 on offer, with Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra finishing second and third respectively.

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The Khelo India Winter Games 2026 mark the second event on this year’s Khelo India calendar. The season began with the Khelo India Beach Games, held in Diu from January 5 to 10. The Leh leg will test athletes and support staff alike, as they compete in demanding high-altitude conditions marked by sub-zero temperatures and low oxygen levels.

“The year has begun with strong momentum for Indian sport, with two Khelo India Games being conducted in the opening month, including the recently-concluded Khelo India Beach Games 2026 in Diu. The Khelo India Winter Games now add another important dimension, creating avenues for athletes to compete and excel in winter sports, an area that has historically seen limited competitive exposure in India. It is only due to the Narendra Modi government’s sustained and focused efforts that India today hosts a national-level, multi-sport Winter Games, firmly embedding winter sports within the country’s domestic competition framework”, Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said.

Ice hockey continues to be the marquee sport in Ladakh, but the inclusion of figure skating has been widely welcomed. At the Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China, last February, India fielded its largest-ever contingent, with 59 athletes, including 23 ice skaters. US-based Tara Prasad finished eighth overall, India’s best-ever result in figure skating at the Asian Games, while Manjesh Tiwari placed 15th in the men’s event.

“In Harbin, we may not have won medals but we have shown that we can compete. More competition means more opportunities and that’s why this edition of the Khelo India Winter Games is a milestone,” said Mohammad Abbas Nordak, a senior national coach from Ladakh.

Mandaviya added that the Khelo India programme will continue to expand in the coming months, starting with the Khelo India Tribal Games next month, followed by other formats across the country. He noted that the now-institutionalised competition calendar would strengthen the domestic sports ecosystem and provide sustained opportunities for athletes.

A total of 21 states and Union Territories are participating, with Haryana (62 athletes), Himachal Pradesh (55) and host Ladakh (52) fielding the largest contingents. Seventeen gold medals will be on offer in the Ladakh leg, 15 of them in ice skating.