LG Manoj Sinha says Khelo India Winter Games a great spectacle for J&K, Ladakh; ‘snow leopard’ to be mascot

Jammu, Jan 30 (PTI) Khelo India Winter Games honours sporting excellence and is a great spectacle for Jammu and Kashmir, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said on Tuesday.

‘Snow leaopard’, the logo and mascot for this year’s Khelo India Winter Games was launched by Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh Brig B D Mishra and Sinha on Tuesday, an official spokesman said.

The Khelo India Winter Games 2024 is scheduled to be held between February 2 to 6 in Gulmarg and Leh areas of the Union territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

Khelo India Winter Games honours sporting excellence, courage and character and it is a great sporting spectacle for Jammu and Kashmir, LG Sinha said.

He said the mascot for the winter games, snow leopard, is the symbol of the Himalayas’ natural heritage and reflects the commitment of the government towards the protection and preservation of wildlife.

The Union Environment Ministry on Tuesday said that India has an estimated 718 snow leopards with 477 of them in Ladakh.

J&K has emerged as a preferred destination for winter sports, Sinha said.

Sinha congratulated the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for the event and extended his best wishes to the players, officials and members of the organising committees.

In the fourth edition of winter games, snow skating, ice hockey and curling have been shifted to Ladakh while other sporting events will be held in J&K’s Gulmarg.