MUZAFFARABAD: The second National Championship of Grass Skiing, held under the aegis of the AJK Winter Sports Association, concluded in Toli Peer top on the outskirts of Rawalakot on Saturday.

According to Aqeel Khurshid, the secretary general of AJK Winter Sports Association, a training camp of grass skiing was organised in the first four days of the official national event which started on Sept 25 in collaboration with the Winter Sports Federation of Pakistan (WSFP) and AJK tourism department.

Toli Peer is some 30 kilometres from Rawalakot, the district headquarters of Poonch, at an altitude of 9,000 feet.

Over the first four days, expert coaches sent by theWSFPprovided grass skiing training to the participants, followed by the competition among them on Friday and Saturday, Mr Khurshid said.

He said 72 athletes, including 24 females, from 10 teams of Pakistan and Azad Kashmir participated. The competition was held in Slalom, Giant Slalom and Parallel Giant Slalom races in men and women category whereas children athletes up to the age of 15 years category competed in Slalom and Giant Slalom races, he said.

Grass skiing, a relatively new sport, is similar to Alpine (snow) skiing in techniques with just a difference that it is done on grass, Mr Khurshid said, adding that it had initially started in Germany for practice of Alpine skiers during summers but later it was recognised as a proper sport by FIS (international regulatory body for winter sports). The first world cup of grass skiing under FIS was held in 1979.

In Pakistan, this sport is gaining popularity and participation of more than double athletes in the second national championship compared to the first one was its ample proof, he said.

Mr Khurshid said participation of women athletes had swelled to 24 from four in the firstnational championship.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2022