Snow Sports Festival held in Neelum Valley

ISLAMABAD: Skiers from all over the country participated in the winter sports competitions during the Snow Sports Festival held at the enchanting Arang Kel in Neelum Valley.

Secretary Winter Sports Federation of Pakistan Air Commodore Shahid Nadeem was the chief guest on the occasion, said a news release issued here on Monday.

Brigade Commander Kel and President Azad Jammu and Kashmir Winter Sports Association were also present at the occasion.

Athletes of under ten, under 14 and under 16 years of age participated in Ski Competitions during the festival.

Apart from Ski competitions, the budding athletes also participated in snowboarding and ice skating events.

A training camp for local youth was also organized by Azad Jammu and Kashmir Winter Sports Associations with the help of Winter Sports Federation of Pakistan (WSFP).

WSFP not only provided technical support but also the equipment for these sports.

Shahid Nadeem said three athletes from Kashmir had participated in Sadia Khan Ski Cup held at Naltar in December 2018, who performed very well despite having limited facilities available for them at their areas.

He said WSFP was searching for more ski slopes in the snow covered peaks of Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to widen the spectrum of winter sports in the country.

Shahid Nadeem said to harness the potential of young players of this area, the first youth ski training camp was also held in this valley earlier this month.