Khelo India Winter Games 2026 begins Tuesday in Leh

Leh (Ladakh), Jan 19 (PTI) More than 1000 athletes will take part in the Ladakh leg of the 2026 Khelo India Winter Games starting in Leh on Tuesday.

The Nawang Dorjan Stobdan (NDS) Stadium, the Army rink and the frozen Gupukh's Pond will be the centres of attraction till the Games end on January 26.

The opening ceremony of KIWG 2026 will take place Tuesday afternoon.

Four hundred and seventy-two athletes will take part in two ice sports -- skating and hockey. The new attraction this year has been the introduction of figure skating, an Olympic event.

In the Ladakh leg of KIWG last year, the hosts ended on top of the medals tally with four gold out of 13 at stake. Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra had finished second and third respectively.

The first leg of Khelo India Winter Games 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.

The technical expertise for the conduct of the Games are provided by the national sports promotional bodies/federations managing ice sports.

KIWG 2026 is the second event this year in the Khelo India calendar. The first event was the Khelo India Beach Games held in Diu from January 5-10.

For all athletes and their support staff, the Leh Games will see how athletes perform under challenging high altitude climatic conditions like minus degree temperature and low oxygen.

"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," said Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

"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 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." While ice hockey remains the showpiece sport in KIWG Ladakh, figure skating is being seen as a welcome addition.

Haryana (62), Himachal Pradesh (55) and hosts Ladakh (52) have the biggest representation in terms of athletes among the 21 states and UTs taking part. There will be 17 gold medals at stake in KIWG 2026 Ladakh leg. Of these, 15 will be for ice skating.

"In the months ahead, the Khelo India will continue to expand with multiple formats, beginning with the Khelo India Tribal Games next month and followed by other variants across the country. The Khelo India calendar has now been finalised and institutionalised, and this fixed competition cycle will be a game changer, strengthening the domestic sporting ecosystem and providing multiple opportunities for deserving athletes to compete, progress, and achieve excellence." In the Asian Winter Games held in Harbin, China in February last year, India sent 23 ice skaters and a total of 59 athletes, the largest team ever for the Games. US-based Tara Prasad finished eighth overall, India’s best figure skating finish in an Asian Games. Manjesh Tiwari finished 15th among men. PTI PDS PDS SSC SSC