All the preparations are in place to organise the first South Asian Federation (SAF) Winter Games in Dehradun on Monday, said Winter Games Federation of India (WGFI) president Brig (Retd) SS Patwal while talking to The Pioneer on Sunday.
Brig Patwal said that all the preparations for conducting ice skating events at Maharana Pratap Sports Stadium in Dehradun have been completed. The participating teams from the South Asian countries including Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Maldives and Sri Lanka have already arrived in Dehradun. The ice skating games include short track speed skating for men and women and figure skating for men and women, ice hockey men demo will be played during the first South Asian Winter Games in Dehradun.
The SAF Winter Games will be inaugurated by Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports MS Gill. Renowned India Sufi singer Kailash Kher will perform along with Bharatnatyam exponent Ami Parekh on the ice skating rink during the inaugural day of the event (10 Jan 2011). The other cultural highlights of the opening ceremony will be folk dances of host State Uttarakhand, Himachal, Assam and Ladakh.
While talking to The Pioneer South Asian Federation of Winter Games Media head PC Thapliyal informed that two foreign teams including Sir Lanka (6 players) and Bangladesh (4 players) reached Dehradun on Sunday. The players were very excited about participating in the SAF Winter Games. With their arrival now four foreign teams including Sir Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Maldives will participate in ice skating events in Dehradun. Two Indian ice hockey teams will play for ice hockey demo in the first day of the event.
News Source: The Pioneer