New Delhi:
The inaugural South Asian Winter Games will be held in Uttarakhand from January 7 to 19 next year.
Besides India, all the other South Asian Federation nations Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan are expected to participate in these Games.
The opening and closing ceremonies of the Games will be held on January 7 and 17 in Auli and Dehra Dun respectively.
Auli will also host the skiing competition from January 7-12 while Ice Skating and Ice Hockey events will be held in Dehra Dun from January 14-19.
Bharal, the Himalayan blue sheep, has been chosen as the mascot of SAF Winter Games, a release said.
"India is extremely happy to host the first ever Winter Games at Uttarakhand. The state-of-the-art, newly built infrastructure will witness the best ever haul across SAF nations. Our main aim is to promote Winter Games and sporting culture and I am sure that these Games will give a new boost to the future of winter sports in India," IOA Secretary General Randhir Singh said.
SS Patwal, President of Winter Games Federation of India, said, "The South Asian Winter Games will pave way for budding winter sports enthusiasts and will offer an international exposure to the professional sports persons. These Games will also help position India on the international winter sporting calendar and will give a new boost to our sports persons to train and participate in more international events."