**Executive Summary**
The 2026 Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG) will commence in Leh, Ladakh, with over 1000 participants, including athletes, coaches, and officials. Hosted by UT Ladakh, the event aims to promote winter sports and foster competition among athletes. The games will take place across several venues, concluding on January 26.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Event Overview:**
* The Ladakh leg of KIWG 2026 will be held starting Tuesday, with the opening ceremony taking place Tuesday afternoon.
* Venues include Nawang Dorjan Stobdan (NDS) Stadium, the Army rink, and the frozen Gupukh's Pond.
* 472 athletes will compete in ice skating and ice hockey. Figure skating has been added as a new event.
* There will be 17 gold medals at stake in KIWG 2026 Ladakh leg, 15 of which will be for ice skating.
* **Organization:**
* The event is organized by the Youth Services and Sports department of UT Ladakh under the supervision of the Sports Authority of India.
* Technical expertise is provided by national sports promotional bodies/federations.
* Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and hosts Ladakh have the largest representation in terms of athletes among the 21 states and UTs taking part.
* **Strategic Significance:**
* KIWG aims to provide a platform for athletes to compete and excel in winter sports, promoting domestic competition.
* **Additional Details:**
* KIWG 2026 is the second event this year in the Khelo India calendar, following the Khelo India Beach Games held in Diu from January 5-10.
* Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, urges athletes to utilize the opportunity.
**Impact Analysis**
**Athletes and Support Staff**
* **Impact:** They will experience challenging high-altitude climatic conditions (minus degree temperature and low oxygen).
* **Action Required:** Prepare for competitions under challenging climatic conditions.
**Union Territory of Ladakh**
* **Impact:** The UT aims to finish on top of the medal tally like the previous season and has the largest representation.
* **Action Required:** Support the hosting and successful conduct of the games, and provide a conducive environment for the athletes.
**Youth Services and Sports Department of the Union Territory of Ladakh**
* **Impact:** Responsible for the organization of the event.
* **Action Required:** Organize and execute the Khelo India Winter Games 2026 in collaboration with the Sports Authority of India.
Key Entities Referenced
Khelo India Winter Games 2026: A national-level, multi-sport event focused on winter sports, being held in Ladakh.
Ladakh: The Union Territory hosting the Khelo India Winter Games 2026.
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports: The government ministry overseeing the Khelo India Winter Games.
Sports Authority of India: Supervises the Khelo India Winter Games 2026.
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
Sports minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya urges
athletes to utilise opportunity as Khelo India
Winter Games 2026 set to begin in Leh
Figure skating, an Olympic discipline, has been added to the
ice skating programme; Hosts UT Ladakh aim to finish on top
of the medal tally like last season
प्रव तथ: 19 JAN 2026 7:10PM by PIB Delhi
More than 1000 men and women, including athletes, coaches and technical officials, 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 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 medal tally with four gold medals out of 13 at stake. Tamil
Nadu and Maharashtra finished second and third.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTsHbANE0jb/?igsh=MTZrbTA1YWNyYmxvYg==
The first leg of Khelo India Winter Games 2026 is 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.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTr0Ut2gaZr/?igsh=MTM3MHo5MGV5MjFmYw==
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.
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”, said Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Hon’ble Union Minister for Youth Affairs and
Sports.
While ice hockey remains the showpiece sport in KIWG Ladakh, figure skating is being seen as a
welcome addition. 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.
“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 Khelo India Winter Games is a milestone,” said
Mohammad Abbas Nordak, a senior national coach from Ladakh.Dr. Mandaviya added, “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.”
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.
For more on KIWG: please click www.Winter.kheloindia.gov.in
*****
Ayushman Kumar
(रलीज़ आईडी: 2216244) आगंतुक पटल : 267
इस वज्ञ को इन भाषाओ ंम पढ़: Urdu , ही , Marathi , Gujarati