Let the show begin!

The grand opening ceremony of SAF Winter Games will be held today (January 9) in Dehradun, where Sufi singer Kailash Kher will be the showstopper:

Anjali Nauriyal

Pakistan`s 25-member ski contingent, including four women skiers led by Javed Iqbal, have arrived in Dehradun under tight security to take part in the first ever South Asian Federation (SAF) Winter Games scheduled to be held in two slots in Dehradun and Auli from January 10. The preparations for the games are almost complete and the teams from Maldives, Sri Lanka and Nepal have already arrived.

The Winter Games will be held in the Uttarakhand capital from January 10 to 12 in Dehradun and from January 14 to 16 in Auli. The opening ceremony will be held today (January 9) in the city where acclaimed Indian Sufi musician Kailash Kher will perform.

According to Brig. S.S. Patwal (retd), President, Winter Games Federation of India (WGFI), "Our preparations are well in place and the indoor stadium in Doon will be the venue for ice hockey. As many as 300 participants from India and six South Asian countries, including Butan, Nepal, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, are participating in the games. And the major events would include speed skating, figure skating, ice skating and many more. Majority of the events would be held in the city, while events requiring ski slopes would be held in Auli."

Patwal expressed confidence that the Winter Games 2011 will work as the launching pad for future winter sports in Uttarakhand and will attract a large number of sports persons and tourists from India and abroad. Grand opening and closing ceremonies have already been planned. A winter sports team for participating in forthcoming seventh Asian Winter Games to be held in Kazakhstan would also be selected shortly.

Bharal, the Himalayan Blue Sheep, has been chosen as the mascot of the Winter Games, keeping in view its agility, strength, sure-footedness and adaptability for survival in high altitudes.The skiing events during the games will be held in Auli, District Chamoli, and the ice skating events will be held in Dehradun.

The cultural highlights of the inaugural ceremony will be dances from host state Uttranchal, Ladak, Assam and Himachal and Sufi Dance by renowned dancer Manjari Chaturvedi.