By IANS
Jammu : Jammu and Kashmir will stake claim for hosting 2010 Commonwealth Winter Games in Gulmarg, a ski-resort in north Kashmir.
The state government will take up the matter with the central government and the Indian Olympic Association.
This would be for the first time that Kashmir would stake such a claim, as it was wary of doing so in the past because of the turbulent situation in the state.
“Now those fears are almost over as there has been a sharp decline in violence,” Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad told a meeting of the tourism officials here Tuesday, He said he would personally take up the matter with the concerned authorities.
The meeting was convened to finalise arrangements for the National Winter Games to be held in Gulmarg from Feb 17.
“Heavy snowfall in Gulmarg and fast improved situation in Kashmir should be our unique selling points for staking our claim for the international event,” the chief minister said.
About 500 participants from 18 teams, including from 10 states, are participating in the National Winter Games. This is likely to promote and popularise the resort, currently under a five feet thick carpet of snow, as a winter tourist destination in a big way.