Excelsior Sports Correspondent
Srinagar, Sept 9: The four-day national Ice Stock sports (Summer Version) Championship, which began today at Sher e Kashmir Indoor Stadium Srinagar, will feature up to 300 players from nearly 20 States.
The championship will be held under the aegis of the Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council from 9th to 12th September. The inaugural ceremony was held at Srinagar’s indoor stadiums, where participants were greeted warmly.
The participants were overjoyed that the championship was being held in Kashmir, as they had heard about the region’s beauty since their childhood. “The game was recently added to the Olympics, and organizing the championship here has doubled my happiness as I have been watching beautiful locations of Kashmir in films,” Gytere, a participant from Maharashtra, told Excelsior.
Players from Jammu and Kashmir were equally excited about the event and expected tough competition, saying, “We have played winter nationals and have won forty medals so far. We have been preparing for the event since the previous week. This year will be a tough competition for us,” Zafeera Zahoor, a player from Jammu and Kashmir said.
According to Dr. Kiran Kashaf, Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Ice Stock Association, Kashmir is safer for women than his home state of Uttar Pradesh. “We can take the girls out late at night to ring. Because the area is completely safe for women, we do not need anyone’s permission. Kashmir appears to be a safer place for me than my home state. We are ecstatic to be here in the valley,” she exclaimed.
She took part in all the ice stock nationals held in Gulmarg. “Our team won medals in both the first and second editions of Khelo India Games that were held in Gulmarg,” she said, adding that the game is typically played on ice, but a summer version has been introduced.
Chief Guest, Sarmad Hafeez, Secretary for Government, Tourism, and Culture, said that this type of national championship not only sends a positive message to the world but also helps them improve sports tourism in the UT.
Bashir Ahmed Bhat, Joint Secretary J&K Sports Council, Nuzhat Ara, Kashmir Sports Officer, Nusrat Gazala, Central Sports Office, Col Narendra Kumar, Zubair Nazir, and, Stadium Manager, as well as the office bearers and officials of the Indian Icestock Sports Federation, were also present at the function.
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