Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

competed in the

Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were he ...

for the first time at the

2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Pakistani skier Muhammad Abbas raced in the men's giant slalom, placing 79th. Abbas was also the country's flag bearer in the

opening Opening may refer to: * Al-Fatiha, "The Opening", the first chapter of the Qur'an * The Opening (album), live album by Mal Waldron * Backgammon opening * Chess opening * A title sequence or opening credits * , a term from contract bridge * , ...

and

closing Closing may refer to: Business and law * Closing (law), a closing argument, a summation * Closing (real estate), the final step in executing a real estate transaction * Closing (sales), the process of making a sale * Closure (business), Closing a ...

ceremonies. 2010 Opening Ceremony - Pakistan entering

Background

The first ski resort in Pakistan was opened in 1958, in the

Naltar Valley The Naltar Valley () is a valley situated about from the city of Gilgit in Gilgit-Baltistan, Gilgit−Baltistan, Pakistan. It is a forested region known for its dramatic mountain scenery and for its three lakes: Strangi Lake, Blue Lake, and Bo ...

. It was originally for air force pilots to train, but later opened up to civilians. The

Ski Federation of Pakistan The Winter Sports Federation of Pakistan is the national governing body to develop and promote the sport of skiing in Pakistan. The federation was formed in December 1990. Affiliations The Federation is affiliated with the Pakistan Olympic Ass ...

was founded in 1990. The

2010 Olympic Games )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...

was Pakistan's debut at the Winter Olympics. They first participated at the

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

in the 1948 Games, and won their first Summer Olympics medal in 1956. The country's sole athlete, alpine skier Muhammad Abbas, carried the country's flag at both the

and

ceremonies.

Alpine skiing

Muhammad Abbas was Pakistan's first Winter Olympic athlete, competing in the

giant slalom Giant slalom (GS) is an alpine skiing and alpine snowboarding discipline. It involves skiing between sets of poles ("gates") spaced at a greater distance from each other than in slalom but less than in Super-G. Giant slalom and slalom make up t ...

. He trained for two weeks in 2008 and six weeks in Austria in 2009, training under an Austrian coach. The slope he trains on in Pakistan is about 500 meters long, with a 100 meter elevation change. The Olympics were his first competition of 2010, since he did not have money to compete in other contests. The Ski Federation of Pakistan considered spending approximately $7000 on his training, but decided to save that money for future skiers. The event was supposed to start on February 21, but was postponed two days to allow for the men's super combined to take place. Abbas finished the first run in 1:38.27, placing 87th on that run. On his second run, he completed the event in 1:42.31 in 79th place. His total time was 3:20.58, for 79th place overall, out of 81 competitors that finished the event.

References

{{Country at games navbox, Pakistan, Olympics Nations at the 2010 Winter Olympics

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

2010 in Pakistani sport