Peshawar – Adviser to the Chief Minister on Tourism, Culture, Archaeology, and Museums Zahid Chanzeb said on Wednesday that his department was making history by holding the Shandur Winter Sports competitions for the first time at Harchin Valley in Upper Chitral district.
Talking to reporters at the inaugural ceremony of the Shandur Ice Winter Sports competitions, he explained that the event was being organized to promote winter tourism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“Shandur Ground is internationally famous for the Shandur Polo Festival held in the summer, but this is the first time in the province’s history that ice hockey, curling, and speed skating competitions are being held on the frozen Shandur Lake during the winter,” he said, adding that the initiative aimed to establish Shandur Ground as a year-round destination for tourists and visitors.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority (KPCTA), the Winter Sports Federation, the district administration of Upper Chitral, and the Chitral Scouts are jointly organizing the Shandur Ice Winter Sports competitions.
Over 100 male and female athletes from Lower and Upper Chitral districts are participating in these events. The initial phase includes training sessions, with the final matches scheduled to take place on December 28 at Shandur Top on the frozen lake.
Boys and girls from Lower and Upper Chitral are participating in the first phase, which includes training sessions held at Harchin.
The Shandur Ice Sports competitions feature over 45 female athletes and more than 100 participants from various valleys of Chitral, including Gabor, Garam Chashma, Kalash, Madaklasht, Booni, Parwak, Yarkhun Lasht, Harchin, and others.
In the first phase, training sessions are being conducted in Harchin, followed by matches in ice hockey, curling, and speed skating, which will help select the final teams.
In the second phase, these selected athletes will compete in the final matches at Shandur Top on December 28.
The KPCTA, in collaboration with the Winter Sports Federation, has been providing winter sports equipment to athletes for the past three years and regularly organizing training sessions and competitions for them.
