BEIJING, Feb 1 (APP):In recent years, the Pakistani government led by Prime Minister Imran Khan was paying more and more attention to the development and promotion of winter sports in the country.
The public shows greater interest in taking part in winter sports, which helped boost the development of the tourism industry, according to an article published by Global Times.
Pakistani winter sports are mainly popular in the northern mountainous regions, and there are less than 10 ski resorts in the country, of which the well-known one is the Naltar Ski Resort situated in the Karakoram range of the Naltar Valley in Gilgit-Baltistan province.
In January 2021, the first Winter Sports Festival was held at the Nalta Ski Resort, where skiing, ice hockey and snowboard competitions were included. President Arif Alvi attended the closing ceremony.
In the same month, the FIS Snowboarding World Championships was held in Maram Jabba ski resort at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with more than 40 domestic and foreign athletes participating.
The Winter Sports Federation of Pakistan is the national governing body to develop and promote winter sports in the country. Winter Sports Federation of Pakistan was formed in December 1990 with Chief of the Air Staff, PAF as its patron-in-chief and the Vice Chief of Air Staff as president of the Federation.
National Championships in alpine and cross-country ski events are held annually and Pakistani skiers are also regularly representing the country in international competitions. The Federation is affiliated with the International Ski Federation (FIS) and the Asian Ski Federation (ASF).
While endorsing, the Beijing Winter Olympics, Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is himself a sportsman, will also attend the opening ceremony of Beijing Winter Olympics on February 4.
In a letter the Khan sent to the Global Times that published on January 28, the Prime Minister said that “In the next few days, I will be arriving in Beijing to attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games. Being a sportsperson myself, I can very well relate to the spirit that sporting events like Olympics instill in a nation.
I strongly feel that sports should be a unifying factor and should transcend politics. I congratulate the leadership and the people of China for hosting this mega event and wish all participants safe, healthy and successful games.”
Pakistan’s top skier, Muhammad Karim, is all set to represent his country at the Games in Beijing in February. Karim from Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, 26, is eyeing his first winter Olympic medal, and is hopeful that the Beijing Winter Olympics will play a significant role in his career and boost his confidence given the event’s scale and audience.
“The Winter Olympics is a major event, and athletes from many countries are trying to improve their skills to hold a good position in the Olympics,” he told Chinese media in an earlier interview.