Srinagar: Kashmir is all set to host the first-ever Winter Games of India Saturday despite the coronavirus threat, with authorities saying they are prepared to fight the virus.
This will be the first major sports event to be held in the Valley after the scrapping of Article 370 in August last year.
The four-day event, which will be held in Gulmarg, a popular skiing destination, will be inaugurated by Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju.
Senior J&K administration officials told ThePrint the sports minister is expected to arrive in Srinagar Friday to inaugurate the event.
The event will be held under the central government’s ‘Khelo India’ initiative, which has been introduced to revive sports culture in India at the grassroots level.
As the fear over coronavirus increases, the J&K administration has said it has taken all precautionary measures to contain the spread.
Coronavirus alert
In a statement issued Thursday, the administration said the health department will screen all players at the airports and national highways. In case of any emergency, the department will initiate immediate measures.
An advisory was also issued Wednesday by the administration, urging people to avoid public gatherings.
“All social, religious and political organisations are requested to avoid large gatherings as a preventive measure,” the advisory stated.
It also asked people to not panic, but suggested taking precautionary measures such as washing hands frequently, practising hygiene and maintaining social distance.
An office memorandum issued by the Union health ministry Thursday, responding to coronavirus-related queries filed by J&K and others, also asked people to avoid mass gatherings or postpone them.
It added that in case people have to attend mass gatherings, they must ensure that all precautionary measures have been taken.
On Thursday, minister Rijiju tweeted, asking sportspersons and common people to not shake hands or give hugs.
I advise our sportspersons and common citizens also to be careful while mingling with various people. For sometime, it's absolutely not necessary to shake hands or hug. We can manage with our traditional Namaste, Salaam, Jai Hind and many local words for greetings! pic.twitter.com/pClc4hd8Sw
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) March 5, 2020
Rijiju, however, described the Winter Games as a big milestone.
“This is going to be a milestone because we talk about Summer Olympics, but we don’t talk about Winter Olympics in India, but it is equally important, interesting and popular,” the minister said Thursday in New Delhi.
“The entire Himalayan region is interested in taking part. It will be a cornerstone in the sporting history of India. Apart from promoting sports, it will also transform the economy of the hill states like Jammu & Kashmir because it will promote tourism,” he added.
The coronavirus threat has led to postponement of the FIBA 3×3 basketball Olympic qualifying tournament.
So far, over 98,000 coronavirus cases have been reported from across the world, with over 3,300 deaths.
The virus reached India on 30 January after a student in Kerala tested positive. The student had a travel history from the Chinese city of Wuhan — the epicentre of the outbreak.
As of now, India has reported 31 confirmed cases, including in cities like Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Hyderabad.
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40 teams from 20 states expected to participate
Over 800 participants from nearly 40 teams from 20 states are expected to take part in the event, a senior J&K administration official told ThePrint.
This apart, J&K officials, senior administrative functionaries and other delegates are expected to attend.
The event will have games including snow skiing, snowboarding, cross country race, snow show and snow cycling.
Besides the coronavirus threat, the event faces another challenge — weather.
There has been fresh snowfall in Gulmarg Thursday.
Naseem Javed Choudhary, secretary of J&K Sports Council, which is organising the event, told ThePrint several participating teams haven’t yet arrived in Srinagar owing to freezing weather.
“Our participating teams are yet to arrive in Kashmir. More than 12 teams are right now in Jammu, 4-5 teams are in Udhampur and Ramban. This is because of bad weather. Some (state) teams have already arrived, but we are hopeful that weather improves and the rest of the teams arrive on time. One team, from Coimbatore, will be arriving in a flight, the rest were supposed to come by road,” he added.
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