Winter sports in India is no longer dominated by men. The Jammu and Kashmir government this year specially held winter sports events for women participants. These female athletes had come from over 11 states of the country and were competing in various winter sports activities.&nbsp;

Earlier, there were hardly any female skiers, snowboarders, or snowshoe racers but this year all those barriers were broken. Hundreds of women arrived in Kashmir's scenic ski resort Gulmarg this year to be a part of winter sports.&nbsp;

Bhiwani has been coming to Gulmarg for over four years. She is among top skiers in the country. She says when she started there was hardly any women participation in winter sports but now the numbers have gone up tremendously.&nbsp;

"Obviously, things have changed. I have been coming here for many years and when we started, we hardly used to see any girls. There used to be more men compared to women, but over the years we can see more women participating. There are a lot of competitions coming up for females. The participants are from across the country. Things have been changing and it's good to see that we are getting support. Earlier we couldn't see women standing up and participating," Bhavani Rachana, who is an athlete.&nbsp;

"I believe we need more support from the government, the government has taken many initiatives to support women, especially for winter sports and given the condition I am sure we will have many women participating in the coming winter Olympics. The only motive is to show youngsters my journey. If someone tomorrow says that I want to be like Bhavani, that would be the biggest achievement for me," Rachana added.&nbsp;

Girls like Bhavani are becoming an inspiration for many young female athletes. A local female athlete from Kashmir won the snowshoe race held in Gulmarg recently. She plans to represent India at the Olympics.&nbsp;

"I am extremely happy that I got first prize for Jammu and Kashmir. I was competing with athletes across the country. It's a great opportunity and girls should use these opportunities. There are special sports events for girls and it's a great thing. I want to represent India in the Olympics and will be preparing for that," said Sara, who is a Kashmiri athlete.&nbsp;

The government of Jammu and Kashmir plans to have more and more female participation in various winter adventure sports. The government is organising special sports events for women so that young female athletes can pick up sports as their careers.&nbsp;

"Women are the backbone of the nation, we had a major emphasis on women participation. All the women who are here, we are providing them the best support and we are sure in future we will have more and more women joining us for the winter adventure sports. We recently had a young athlete who won a wushu championship for the country. The women should fight the odds and win and be the face for the women of Kashmir," said Zeeshan Khan, who is an Assistant Director of Tourism.&nbsp;

The female athletes now hope that the government will support them and make teams for every sport to provide a platform for these girls to represent India at international sports events.&nbsp;

Winter sports in India is no longer dominated by men. The Jammu and Kashmir government this year specially held winter sports events for women participants. These female athletes had come from over 11 states of the country and were competing in various winter sports activities.

Winter sports in India is no longer dominated by men. The Jammu and Kashmir government this year specially held winter sports events for women participants. These female athletes had come from over 11 states of the country and were competing in various winter sports activities. Earlier, there were hardly any female skiers, snowboarders, or snowshoe racers but this year all those barriers were broken. Hundreds of women arrived in Kashmir's scenic ski resort Gulmarg this year to be a part of winter sports. Bhiwani has been coming to Gulmarg for over four years. She is among top skiers in the country. She says when she started there was hardly any women participation in winter sports but now the numbers have gone up tremendously. "Obviously, things have changed. I have been coming here for many years and when we started, we hardly used to see any girls. There used to be more men compared to women, but over the years we can see more women participating. There are a lot of competitions coming up for females. The participants are from across the country. Things have been changing and it's good to see that we are getting support. Earlier we couldn't see women standing up and participating," Bhavani Rachana, who is an athlete. "I believe we need more support from the government, the government has taken many initiatives to support women, especially for winter sports and given the condition I am sure we will have many women participating in the coming winter Olympics. The only motive is to show youngsters my journey. If someone tomorrow says that I want to be like Bhavani, that would be the biggest achievement for me," Rachana added. Girls like Bhavani are becoming an inspiration for many young female athletes. A local female athlete from Kashmir won the snowshoe race held in Gulmarg recently. She plans to represent India at the Olympics. "I am extremely happy that I got first prize for Jammu and Kashmir. I was competing with athletes across the country. It's a great opportunity and girls should use these opportunities. There are special sports events for girls and it's a great thing. I want to represent India in the Olympics and will be preparing for that," said Sara, who is a Kashmiri athlete. The government of Jammu and Kashmir plans to have more and more female participation in various winter adventure sports. The government is organising special sports events for women so that young female athletes can pick up sports as their careers. "Women are the backbone of the nation, we had a major emphasis on women participation. All the women who are here, we are providing them the best support and we are sure in future we will have more and more women joining us for the winter adventure sports. We recently had a young athlete who won a wushu championship for the country. The women should fight the odds and win and be the face for the women of Kashmir," said Zeeshan Khan, who is an Assistant Director of Tourism. The female athletes now hope that the government will support them and make teams for every sport to provide a platform for these girls to represent India at international sports events.

Winter sports in India: Huge number of female participants from across country

The Russian Olympic Committee made an urgent appeal Friday to overturn a ban on its athletes competing at a European winter sports festival in Finland.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport said it was setting a timetable for the case ahead of the Winter European Youth Olympic Festival being held from March 20-25.

The ROC appeal challenges a March 2 decision by the executive committee of the European Olympic Committees to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes because of the war in Ukraine.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/india-beat-wi-by-huge-155-runs-in-icc-womens-world-cup-461558">Women's World Cup 2022: Mandhana, Kaur hit tons as India register massive 155-run win over West Indies</a>

In a separate Russian case at CAS, the national soccer federation has appealed against bans on national and club teams by FIFA and UEFA.

Those suspensions were imposed on March 1 within hours of the International Olympic Committee urging sports bodies to act to isolate Russia after the military invasion.

The Russian Olympic Committee made an urgent appeal Friday to overturn a ban on its athletes competing at a European winter sports festival in Finland. The Court of Arbitration for Sport said it was setting a timetable for the case ahead of the Winter European Youth Olympic Festival being held from March 20-25.

The Russian Olympic Committee made an urgent appeal Friday to overturn a ban on its athletes competing at a European winter sports festival in Finland. The Court of Arbitration for Sport said it was setting a timetable for the case ahead of the Winter European Youth Olympic Festival being held from March 20-25. The ROC appeal challenges a March 2 decision by the executive committee of the European Olympic Committees to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes because of the war in Ukraine. ALSO READ: Women's World Cup 2022: Mandhana, Kaur hit tons as India register massive 155-run win over West Indies In a separate Russian case at CAS, the national soccer federation has appealed against bans on national and club teams by FIFA and UEFA. Those suspensions were imposed on March 1 within hours of the International Olympic Committee urging sports bodies to act to isolate Russia after the military invasion.

European winter sports festival: Russian Olympic Committee appeals to overturn ban on its athletes

Winter sports are fun but what happens when the place where you live is a landfill and has no facilities for ski complex. This was the situation that a 78-year old man was confronted with, how did he change it?

Russia: Pensioner turns landfill into a ski complex

The first snowboarder of the season arrives in Gulmarg after Kashmir valley reopens for visitors. He finds a winter wonderland perfect for winter sports, the only thing missing, are people...

WION Traveller S3 Episode 20 – Johan in wonderland

With heavy snowfall, this season, winter sports activities have kicked-off in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, where adventure lovers from across the globe have arrived for skiing and snowboarding.&nbsp;

Surrounded by the western Himalayas, Gulmarg is dotted with skiers from across the globe. The place has been called the "Heartland of winter sports" by Indian media.&nbsp;

The government of India has already invested 420,000 US dollars to transform Gulmarg into a world-class ski destination.&nbsp;

Slopes at Gulmarg are made for experienced as well as those who are new to the sport of skiing.&nbsp;
<img alt="Winter sports activities in J&amp;K. " data-caption="&lt;strong&gt;Winter sports activities in J&amp;amp;K. (Photo by- Ieshan Wani, J&amp;amp;K Correspondent, WION)&lt;/strong&gt;" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="562b573a-15f5-4b2d-b4a7-a81c33501943" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Winter%20sports.jpg" />
Around forty thousand tourists have already visited this destination, mainly for skiing and snowboarding and this has got tourism players all excited after dry summer.&nbsp;

Ranked Asia's seventh best ski destinations ski lovers from Russia, Australia and New Zealand are the frequent visitors.&nbsp;

"It's fantastic to ski in Kashmir. Snow quality is absolutely amazing particularly this season, this is some of the best I have seen in my life. I have been here for 9 years and this is the best," said John, a skier from Hungary.&nbsp;
<img alt="Winter sports activities in J&amp;K." data-caption="&lt;strong&gt;Winter sports activities in J&amp;amp;K. (Photo by- Ieshan Wani, J&amp;amp;K Correspondent, WION)&lt;/strong&gt;" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9bdabd17-753f-4c41-98a7-d077022ad04c" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Winter%20sports%20activities%20in%20J%26K.jpg" />
Winter is also considered a perfect time for a vacation in Gulmarg where the temperature&nbsp;can dip up to -15 degrees Celsius. The institute set up by the Government here trains young ski enthusiasts on gentle slopes where you can rent a pair with an instructor and get going.&nbsp;

"This season we have received good snow but we need more infrastructure from the Government of India so that people from valley can participate at International level competitions," says Shafat, a young Ski instructor.&nbsp;

Now the tourism department is eyeing to hold international competitions in the state by developing the new slopes and a proposal has already been cleared by the Government of India.&nbsp;

With heavy snowfall, this season, winter sports activities have kicked-off in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, where adventure lovers from across the globe have arrived for skiing and snowboarding.

With heavy snowfall, this season, winter sports activities have kicked-off in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, where adventure lovers from across the globe have arrived for skiing and snowboarding. Surrounded by the western Himalayas, Gulmarg is dotted with skiers from across the globe. The place has been called the "Heartland of winter sports" by Indian media. The government of India has already invested 420,000 US dollars to transform Gulmarg into a world-class ski destination. Slopes at Gulmarg are made for experienced as well as those who are new to the sport of skiing. Around forty thousand tourists have already visited this destination, mainly for skiing and snowboarding and this has got tourism players all excited after dry summer. Ranked Asia's seventh best ski destinations ski lovers from Russia, Australia and New Zealand are the frequent visitors. "It's fantastic to ski in Kashmir. Snow quality is absolutely amazing particularly this season, this is some of the best I have seen in my life. I have been here for 9 years and this is the best," said John, a skier from Hungary. Winter is also considered a perfect time for a vacation in Gulmarg where the temperature can dip up to -15 degrees Celsius. The institute set up by the Government here trains young ski enthusiasts on gentle slopes where you can rent a pair with an instructor and get going. "This season we have received good snow but we need more infrastructure from the Government of India so that people from valley can participate at International level competitions," says Shafat, a young Ski instructor. Now the tourism department is eyeing to hold international competitions in the state by developing the new slopes and a proposal has already been cleared by the Government of India.

India's 'winter heartland' Gulmarg abuzz with skiers and snowboarders

Japan will be hosting&nbsp;the 2017 Asian Winter Games (AWG), in the cities of Sapporo and Obihiro, starting Sunday. The Winter Games will run through February 26.&nbsp;

AWG is an international multi-sport event run by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to develop winter sports within its area of coverage. According to the official website, the OCA has 45 member countries.This year, the 8th Asian Winter Games is expected to attract more than 2,000 athletes from 31 countries, competing in five sports, 11 disciplines and 64 events.

With the Winter Games, just a year away from the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchan,&nbsp;it is expected to offer a great stage for athletes to rehearse. Pyeongchang will stage Asia&#39;s first Winter Games outside Japan next year. This will kick-start a cycle of events in Asia with Tokyo hosting the 2020 Summer Games and Beijing the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Keeping with the sportsman spirit, the Japanese government is allowing the North Korean athletes&nbsp;to enter the country to take part in the Games despite Japan&#39;s entry ban on North Korean citizens, as reported in AP.&nbsp;Tokyo will treat the athletes as an exception to its punitive measure taken as part of its sanctions in response to Pyongyang&#39;s nuclear tests and rocket launches.&nbsp;

The Sapporo Games will also feature athletes from Australia and New Zealand.&nbsp;At the request of the Australian Olympic Committee, the Olympic Council of Asia and the Sapporo 2017 organizing committee agreed to allow athletes from the two countries to take part as &#39;guest athletes&#39; in individual sports only, according to AP. However, they won&#39;t be eligible to compete for medals.

The 8th Sapporo Asian Winter Games Organising Committee (SAWGOC) looks to enhance tourism, economic stimulation and greater interest in winter sports in the region.&nbsp;

At present, Republic of Korea leads the medal tally with 14 medals, Japan and China follow with 12 and 9 medals respectively.&nbsp;

(WION) 
&nbsp;

Some 2000 athletes from 31 countries will be competing in five sports across 64 events in Japan

Japan will be hosting the 2017 Asian Winter Games (AWG), in the cities of Sapporo and Obihiro, starting Sunday. The Winter Games will run through February 26. AWG is an international multi-sport event run by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to develop winter sports within its area of coverage. According to the official website, the OCA has 45 member countries.This year, the 8th Asian Winter Games is expected to attract more than 2,000 athletes from 31 countries, competing in five sports, 11 disciplines and 64 events. With the Winter Games, just a year away from the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchan, it is expected to offer a great stage for athletes to rehearse. Pyeongchang will stage Asia's first Winter Games outside Japan next year. This will kick-start a cycle of events in Asia with Tokyo hosting the 2020 Summer Games and Beijing the 2022 Winter Olympics. Keeping with the sportsman spirit, the Japanese government is allowing the North Korean athletes to enter the country to take part in the Games despite Japan's entry ban on North Korean citizens, as reported in AP. Tokyo will treat the athletes as an exception to its punitive measure taken as part of its sanctions in response to Pyongyang's nuclear tests and rocket launches. The Sapporo Games will also feature athletes from Australia and New Zealand. At the request of the Australian Olympic Committee, the Olympic Council of Asia and the Sapporo 2017 organizing committee agreed to allow athletes from the two countries to take part as 'guest athletes' in individual sports only, according to AP. However, they won't be eligible to compete for medals. The 8th Sapporo Asian Winter Games Organising Committee (SAWGOC) looks to enhance tourism, economic stimulation and greater interest in winter sports in the region. At present, Republic of Korea leads the medal tally with 14 medals, Japan and China follow with 12 and 9 medals respectively. (WION)

Japan to host Asian Winter Games

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