MUZAFFARABAD: Pakistan Air Force (PAF) clinched the first position in the 2023 National Women’s Winter Sports Championship (Saadia Khan Cup) on Sunday, followed by Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Scouts and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) which bagged second and third positions, respectively.

The championship, participated by as many as 80 female athletes from eight teams, was held at 9,990 feet high Ganga Choti in AJK’s Bagh district.

Divisional Commissioner Poonch Chaudhry Fareed was the chief guest at the concluding ceremony, which was attended by hundreds of people.

The attendees included retiredBrigadier Akram Khan, the aged father of skier Saadia Khan after whom the championship is named. Ms Khanhad lost her life in a tragic car accident on April13, 2002 at the age of 24.

Concurrently, the third Winter Sports Festival was also held at Ganga Choti, with 40 male athletes from different clubs of the country among its participants.

Raja Aqeel Khurshid, secretary general of the AJK Winter Sports Association (AJKWSA), toldDawnthat the competition was held inSlalom and Giant Slalom categories in Alpine Skiing and Giant Slalom and Parallel Giant Slalom in Snowboarding.

Similar competition was held for the male athletes participating in the thirdGanga Choti Winter Sport Festival, he said.

In women’s event (Saadia Khan Cup), Khushim Sahiba of PAF hit the top figure on the points table by winning two gold medals each in Alpine Skiing Giant Slalom and Slalom races while Ayesha Ahmad of PAF and Fatima Nadeem of Azad Kashmir clinched gold medals in Giant Slalom and Parallel Giant Slalom, respectively, he said.

In the men’s event, Sabir Zafran of Neelum Valley Club (AJK) won two golds in Alpine Skiing Slalom and Giant Slalom and Murshid from Madaklasht Club Chitral (KP) won gold in both snowboarding races in Giant Slalom and Giant Slalom Parallel, he added.

Mr Khurshid said the athletes also gave a highly skilled demonstration of skiing at the concluding ceremony.

Saeed Azhan Haider, a seven-year-old boy from Bagh, was the focus of attention as he exhibited his first ever performance, just after a week-long training, to the appreciation of athletes and visitors alike,hesaid.

TheAJKWSA secretary generalmaintained thatever since his association had started holding winter sports events in Azad Kashmir, the interest of local youth in winter games had increased manifold, subsequently bringing to fore new talent of national level.

He also praised deputy commissioner Abdul Hameed Kiani and the highways department officials in Bagh for their highly commendable contribution to the successful holding of the first-ever national winter sports competition in the territory.

Unlike the previous year, he said, not only the seven kilometres long road between 7,000 feet high Sudhan Galli and Ganga Choti had been kept clear of snow, the administration had also launched a paid shuttle service to provide hassle free transportation facility to the visitors.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2023