Popular sports in Jammu and Kashmir include

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

, football and winter sports along with sports like

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

, water sports,

Ice stock sport Ice stock sport (also known as ''"Icestocksport"'' or ''"Bavarian curling"'') is a winter sport, somewhat similar to curling. In German, it is known as Eisstockschießen. Although the sport is traditionally played on an ice surface, events are al ...

and adventure sports. The National Winter Games have been held in

Gulmarg Gulmarg (), known as Gulmarag (; ) in Kashmiri, is a town, hill station, popular skiing destination, and notified area committee in the Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is located at a distance of from Baramulla and from S ...

in 1996, 2004 and 2009. The first

Khelo India Winter Games Khelo India Winter Games are the national level multidisciplinary grassroot winter games of India. Events include Skiing, Alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, Snow rugby, Ice stock sport, Snow baseball, Mountaineering, Snowshoe running, Ice hockey, F ...

were held in February and March 2020 in

Leh Leh () ( lbj, ) is the joint capital and largest city of Ladakh, a union territory of India. Leh, located in the Leh district, was also the historical capital of the Kingdom of Ladakh, the seat of which was in the Leh Palace, the former res ...

and

. Jammu and Kashmir won the most gold medals (26 gold, 29 silver, 21 bronze) while the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

team came second with 8 gold medals. The second edition of the winter games were also held successfully in

in 2020 with Jammu and Kashmir coming first and Karnataka second. Jammu and Kashmir has produced numerous international and national level players including Gul Dev, the first Kashmiri Olympian, numerous

Indian Premier League The Indian Premier League (IPL), also known as TATA IPL for sponsorship reasons, is a men's T20 franchise cricket league of India. It is annually contested by ten teams based out of seven Indian cities and three Indian states. The leagu ...

cricketers such as Abdul Samad and

Mithun Manhas Mithun Manhas (born 12 October 1979) is an Indian first-class cricketer. A right-handed batsman, he also bowls right-arm offbreak and can keep wicket. Indian Premier League Manhas played in the Indian Premier League representing the Delhi Dare ...

, sharp shooter Chain Singh and footballer

Mehrajuddin Wadoo Mehrajuddin Wadoo (born 12 February 1984) is an Indian professional manager and former footballer. He is the current head coach of I-League club Mohammedan. During his playing days, Wadoo played for clubs such as Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Sal ...

among others.

Background

Princely state of Jammu and Kashmir

In 1883, in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, hunting was still a sport though restrictions on what could be killed and where game could be hunted had started to take force. In A. E. Ward's ''Sportsman's Guide to Kashmir and Ladak,'' Ward writes, "in Kashmir there exist two or three hundred men who call themselves shikaris, but there are not two dozen who are worthy of the name. In no other part of India have I come across such an arrant collection of impostors." Game included markhor, ibex, ther, serow, goral, burhel, deer, antelope, yak, wolf, sambhur and others. By the time Ward came out with the fourth edition of his book in 1896 he notes that there is "but little sport to be got in the whole of the Kashmir dominions". By 1942 the Jammu and Kashmir Game Preservation Action came into force which outlined the conditions under which game could be killed.

State and UT of Jammu and Kashmir

Against the background of the

Kashmir conflict The Kashmir conflict is a territorial conflict over the Kashmir region, primarily between India and Pakistan, with China playing a third-party role. The conflict started after the partition of India in 1947 as both India and Pakistan claimed ...

and tension in the state, government initiatives in the sports sector are promoted specifically trying to draw the youth away from the conflict. The Indian Army also conducts sporting activities for the youth in the region through various welfare initiatives such as Operation Sadbhavana. Lack of infrastructure, politicization, lack of support are other issues hampering growth of the sports in the region. Abid Hussain, a sports journalist in Kashmir and founder of the monthly sports magazine ''Kashmir Sports Watch'', in a 2020 interview with Mumbai Mirror said that sports tournaments in Kashmir are organised by both the army and police, as well as mainstream political parties, even the Hurriyat, and once a player takes part in one of these tournaments, the players along with their families are labelled "pro-India" or "pro-Pakistan" accordingly. Even if a sportsperson plays for India they face stigmatization from separatists. On 24 September 2020, the one-year anniversary of the

Fit India Movement Fit India Movement is a nation-wide movement in India to encourage people to remain healthy and fit by including physical activities and sports in their daily lives. Fit India Movement was launched by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi at In ...

, Prime Minister Narendra Modi digitally interacted with sportspersons across the country, including Afshan Asiq. Afshan is the captain of Kashmir Valley's first Jammu and Kashmir women's state football team. In 2017, she had been photographed stone pelting, which had appeared in headlines across the country. PM of India interacting with fitness influencers

PM of India interacting with fitness influencers

Notable players from Jammu and Kashmir

International, national and state level notable players from the region.

Sporting activities

Cricket in Jammu and Kashmir

Cricket is the second most popular sport in Jammu and Kashmir after football. Recently Ifran Pathan was made the mentor and coach of the

Jammu and Kashmir cricket team The Jammu and Kashmir cricket team is a cricket team based in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, run by JKCA. It is in the Elite Group C of the Ranji Trophy. Its main home ground is the Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium in Srinagar, and i ...

. The team participates in the events such as the Ranjhi Trophy and

Vijay Hazare Trophy The Vijay Hazare Trophy, (officially known as Mastercard Vijay Hazare trophy for sponsorship reasons) also known as the Ranji One-Day Trophy, is an annual limited-overs cricket domestic competition involving state teams from the Ranji Trophy pl ...

. Popular players to have come from the region include

Parvez Rasool Parvez Ghulam Rasool Zargar (born 13 February 1989) is an Indian cricketer who plays as an all-rounder for Jammu and Kashmir. A right-hand batsman and offbreak bowler, Rasool is the captain of the Jammu and Kashmir team and a regular member of I ...

, Abdul Samad,

, Rasikh Salam and Manzoor Dar who have played T20 IPL matches for team such as

Sunrisers Hyderabad Sunrisers Hyderabad (stylised as SunRisers Hyderabad, SRH) are a franchise cricket team based in Hyderabad, Telangana, India, that plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The franchise is owned by Kalanithi Maran of the SUN Group and was ...

and

Kings XI Punjab Punjab Kings (PBKS) are a franchise cricket team based in Mohali, Punjab, that plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Established in 2008 as the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), the franchise is jointly owned by Mohit Burman, Ness Wadia, Preity Zi ...

. Other cricketers from Jammu and Kashmir include

Jasia Akhtar Jasia Akhtar (born 27 May 1988) is an Indian cricketer who currently plays for Uttarakhand. She play as a right-handed batter. She previously played for Punjab, Rajasthan and Trailblazers. In September 2017, Akhtar was called up to a national ...

who was the first women from Jammu and Kashmir to be selected for the

India women's national cricket team The India women's national cricket team, also known as Team India or Women in Blue, represents India in women's international cricket. It is governed by Board of Control for Cricket in India India made its Test debut in 1976, against the We ...

and

Amir Hussain Lone Amir Hussain Lone (born 1990) is an cricketer from Bijbehara village in Jammu and Kashmir. He is known for being an armless cricketer and the captain of the Jammu and Kashmir para-cricket team. Career Lone lost his hand at the age of 8 in 199 ...

who is the captain of Jammu and Kashmir's para cricket team. Since 2019, the police also have their own

T20 cricket Twenty20 (T20) is a shortened game format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two teams have a single innin ...

tournament. As of 2020, Abdul Samad became the cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir with the most number of IPL matches.

comes in second with 11 matches in the IPL. There is criticism related to excessive politicization and lack of professionalism and support in development of the sport in the region. CRIC

Football in Jammu and Kashmir

Football, is also popular sport in Jammu and Kashmir, first came to Jammu and Kashmir in 1891-92 by Tyndale Biscoe. The first time a football team from the region participated in the Santosh Trophy was in 1964. There are around 500 football clubs in the region. Teams from Jammu and Kashmir which play in the

I-League The I-League (known as Hero I-League for sponsorship ties with Hero MotoCorp) is the second-tier men's professional football competition of the Indian football league system. It is currently contested by 12 clubs across the country with the w ...

are Real Kashmir F.C. (division one) and Lonestar Kashmir F.C. (division two).

from Srinagar has represented the

India national football team The India national football team represents India in international football and is governed by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). The team is affiliated to FIFA and Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Indian team, which was once cons ...

and also plays in the

Indian Super League The Indian Super League (ISL) is an Indian professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Indian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Organised by the All India Football Federat ...

. Jammu and Kashmir has produced nineteen international players (from the school level to the senior team) such as Abdul Majeed Kakroo. Players from the region have been part of top football teams in India such as Mohun Bagan A.C. and

East Bengal F.C. East Bengal Club, commonly referred to as East Bengal (), is an Indian professional multi-sport club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. It is best known for its professional men's football team that competes in the Indian Super League, the top fli ...

(such as

Ishfaq Ahmed Ishfaq Ahmed (born 17 March 1983) is a former Indian footballer who currently works as the assistant coach of Kerala Blasters FC in Indian Super League. He is also a member of the AIFF technical committee. Ishfaq is one among the two professi ...

). Basit Ahmed and Mohammed Renbar were chosen to play football with Sociedad Deportiva Lenense Proinastur (SD Lenense), a third division Spanish team, part of a public outreach program of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and J&K Football Association. Other initiatives such as a football team for every village in the Kashmir Valley has also been initiated by the government in 2017. Night football, with "high-voltage floodlights" set up by the locals themselves, is well contested and attended despite various difficulties.

Basketball in Jammu and Kashmir

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

is a sport which does not attract much attention in India but the condition is even worse in Jammu and Kashmir where political turmoil often undermines the potential of the players. Basketball was on the verge of a decline in 2015, but with the aid of a few administrators, the sport got a new lifeline in Jammu and Kashmir. Having created a strong base the state is trying to capitalise on the foundations to popularise basketball in Jammu and Kashmir.

Snow rugby in Jammu and Kashmir

Snow rugby Snow rugby refers to forms of rugby union that are especially adapted to be played in winter conditions, particularly in deep snow. It is played in Canada, the Kashmir region in India, the Baltic states, Russia, the northern United States, and Fi ...

was introduced in Srinagar in 2004 and by 2018 around 3000 girls in the region participate in the sport.

Marathons in Jammu and Kashmir

Marathons that have been conducted in the region include the

Ladakh Marathon The Ladakh Marathon is a marathon held in Leh, a town in the Indian Union Territory of Ladakh. It claims to be the highest marathon in the world, held at a height of . The seventh edition of the Ladakh Marathon was held in 2018 and its ninth ed ...

, the

Great Tibetan Marathon The annually recurring Great Tibetan Marathon is a marathon that takes place on the Tibetan Plateau in northern India – also known as little Tibet. The Great Tibetan Marathon is unusual in that it happens in an elevation of 3,500 meters in ...

and the Kashmir International Half Marathon. The Ladakh Marathon is recognised by Association of International Marathons and Distance Races and is one of the highest marathon in the world.

Adventure sports in Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir, with its hilly terrain and swift flowing rivers, offers opportunities for

water skiing Water skiing (also waterskiing or water-skiing) is a surface water sport in which an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation over a body of water, skimming the surface on two skis or one ski. The sport requires suffic ...

paragliding Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or lies supine in a cocoon-like 'p ...

and mountaineering. Tsewang Paljor and

Tsewang Samanla The May 1996 expedition by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police to reach the summit of Mount Everest happened in the background of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, and resulted in three members of the expedition dying. The expedition was led by Comm ...

from Leh was part India's first team to reach the summit of

Mount Everest Mount Everest (; Tibetic languages, Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is List of highest mountains on Earth, Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border ru ...

(from the

North Col __NOTOC__ The North Col (; ) refers to the sharp-edged pass carved by glaciers in the ridge connecting Mount Everest and Changtse in Tibet. It forms the head of the East Rongbuk Glacier. When climbers attempt to climb Everest via the North ridge ...

side). Sonam Wangyal, also from Leh, climbed Mount Everest when he was 23, making him the youngest person to do so at the time.

Winter sports in Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir has opportunities for

heliskiing Heli-skiing is off-trail, downhill skiing or snowboarding where the skier reaches the top of the mountain by helicopter, instead of a ski lift. History In the late 1950s, helicopters were used in Alaska and Europe to access remote terrain. The ...

ice skating Ice skating is the self-propulsion and gliding of a person across an ice surface, using metal-bladed ice skates. People skate for various reasons, including recreation (fun), exercise, competitive sports, and commuting. Ice skating may be per ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

, snow autocross and snowboarding. National level winter sporting events that have taken place in Gulmarg include the alpine ski championship and the snowboarding championship.

Khelo India Winter Games

The National Winter Games were held in Gulmarg in 1996, 2004, 2008. The second leg of the first

were held between 7 and 11 March 2020 in Gulmarg. Jammu and Kashmir won the most gold medals (26 gold, 29 silver, 21 bronze) while the Indian Army team came second with 8 gold medals. Sports included alpine skiing, nordic skiing, snow baseball, ice hockey and snowshoeing. 900 athletes from 20 states took part. The second winter games were successfully held in Gulmarg between 26 February–2 March 2020.

Snowshoe Run

Snowshoe run was held in Srinagar as a part of winter sports to uplift the winter sports in kashmir. This sport is usually played in Europe and was introduced in Kashmir for the first time.

Infrastructure and institutions

Jammu and Kashmir has 19 stadiums, 23 training centers, three indoor sports complexes and 43 government maintained playing fields. This includes

Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium is a cricket stadium located in Srinagar, India. It is home to the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association, JKCA and Jammu and Kashmir cricket team which represents the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (union terr ...

TRC turf ground TRC Turf Ground is an association football stadium located in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Owned by Jammu & Kashmir Football Association, It is currently the home ground of Real Kashmir and most JKFA Professional League teams. History ...

, Bakshi Stadium, Amar Singh Club Ground,

Gandhi Memorial Science College Ground Gandhi Memorial Science College, commonly known as G.G.M. Science College, formerly Prince of Wales College, established in 1905 is an NAAC accredited "A" grade college located in the city of Jammu, in Jammu and Kashmir, India. The college's ...

and the

Maulana Azad Stadium The Maulana Azad Stadium (also spelled ''Molana Azad Stadium'') is a stadium in Jammu and is one of the home venues for the Jammu and Kashmir cricket team. It is located on the banks of the Tawi River Cricket Maulana Azad Stadium has hosted home ...

. Srinagar District also has two golf courses - Kashmir Golf Club and Royal Spring Golf Course. Institutions such as the

Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering and Winter Sports The Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering and Winter Sports was established in 1983 in Aru, Pahalgam, when chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir suggested its creation to Prime Smt Indira Gandhi. The institute was formed on the lines of other national m ...

provides mountaineering, skiing and adventure courses.

Synthetic Turf Football Stadium, TRC Polo Ground

The TRC ground is Jammu and Kashmir's first football stadium. It has imported synthetic football turf. The synthetic turf for the stadium has been imported from Italy. The stadium has a capacity for 15000 spectators. The field is of international standard size.

Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium

Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium is a

stadium located in Srinagar. It is home to the JKCA and

which represents the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir in the Ranji Trophy and other domestic tournaments in the country.

National Cricket Academy The National Cricket Academy is a cricket facility of the BCCI for the purpose of developing young cricketers who have been identified as having the potential to represent the Indian cricket team. It was established in the year 2000 and is loc ...

is currently constructing an indoor complex at the stadium.

Under construction

A new sports facility is under construction in south Kashmir’s Bijbhera. It is expected to be complete by 2021. Facilities include an "indoor stadium, a cricket ground of international standards, a football ground, hockey stadium, skating rink, cycle track, modular synthetic basketball court, volleyball and badminton courts." On 12 September 2020, the e-foundation stone of the 'Shri Arun Jaitley Memorial Sports Complex' was laid. On 19 September 2020,

Suresh Raina Suresh Raina (; born 27 November 1986) is an Indian former international cricketer. He occasionally served as stand-in captain for Indian men's national cricket team during the absence of the main captain. He played for Uttar Pradesh (UP) in ...

, after meeting with the Lieutenant Governor, decided to set up cricket training academies in both Kashmir division and Jammu division.

Jammu & Kashmir State Sports Council

Set up in 1959, the Jammu & Kashmir State Sports Council objectives include promoting sports activities in the State among the student and non-student youth, creating and developing sports infrastructure in various parts of the State and providing financial assistance and grants. The Organisation is headed by the

Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir The Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir was the title given to the head of government of Jammu and Kashmir. As per the Constitution of India, the Lieutenant Governor is the state's ''de jure'' head, but ''de facto'' executive authority rests wit ...

and the Sports Minister as its President and Vice-President respectively. The Sports Council functions at State, Divisional and District level.

Awards

The government of Jammu and Kashmir has introduced various awards to inspire not only the sports people, but also coaches and sports associations. Following are some of these awards: * Sher-I-Kashmir Award and Medal *

Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839), popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or "Lion of Punjab", was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He s ...

Award and Medal * Parshuram Awards and Medals * Brig Rajinder Singh Award and Medal for Men * Madri-I-Meharban Award and Medal * Chief Minister's Gold Rolling Trophy

Sports Associations

There are over 40 official registered sports associations in the region such the J&K Cricket Association and the J&K Football Association. Other associations under the sports council include the J&K

Yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consci ...

Association, J&K Cycling Association and the J&K Billiard and Snooker Association. Associations have also been set up for the deaf as well for veterans.

Sports journalism in Jammu and Kashmir

Kashmir has its own dedicated monthly sports magazine "Kashmir Sports Watch". The first issue came out in April 2015 and has a subscription of nearly 12,000 copies per month.

Salary controversy

Under the Rehab-e-Khel scheme, national and international level sports medalists hired as full-time instructors in government schools of Jammu and Kashmir earn only ₹3,000 a month as reported by ''

Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media, an entity controlled by the KK Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia. It was founded by Sunder Singh Ly ...

''.

References

{{Sport in India Sport in Jammu and Kashmir Sport in India