Men no longer dominate winter sports in India. This year, the government of Jammu and Kashmir organised winter sports competitions just for women. These female competitors came from 11 different states and competed in a variety of winter sports.
Previously, there were few female skiers, snowboarders, or snowshoe races, but all of those barriers were broken this year. Hundreds of ladies arrived in Gulmarg, Kashmir's picturesque ski resort, this year to participate in winter sports.
The administration of Jammu and Kashmir wants to encourage more women to participate in winter adventure sports. Women's sports tournaments are being organised by the government so that young female athletes can pursue athletics as a vocation.
"Women are the backbone of the nation, we had a major emphasis on women participation. All the women who are here, we are providing them the best support and we are sure in future we will have more and more women joining us for the winter adventure sports. We recently had a young athlete who won a wushu championship for the country. The women should fight the odds and win and be the face for the women of Kashmir," said Zeeshan Khan, who is an Assistant Director of Tourism.
Female athletes now hope that the government would rally behind them and organise teams for each sport, giving them a chance to represent India in international sporting events.