Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], March 12 (ANI): Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday stated that efforts would be made to see how Kashmir progresses in the sports sector in the days to come.

After the Khelo India Winter Games were postponed last month due to inadequate snowfall in February, the tournament finally commenced in Gulmarg on Sunday. The games played home to some gripping contests and concluded on Wednesday.

On the final day of the games, Mandaviya talked about the rising popularity of Gulmarg for winter gamers across the country. He assured that efforts would be made to see how sports infrastructure progresses in Kashmir in the future.

'Today, the 5th edition of the Khelo India Winter Games concluded in Gulmarg. Gulmarg is gaining popularity across the country for Winter Games. The 5th edition was held here. More than 750 athletes participated. I saw that people from every corner of the country had come here at the conclusion of the game. In the days to come, efforts will be made to see how Kashmir progresses in the sports sector, sports infrastructure and sports medal tally,' Mandaviya told reporters.

Mandaviya handed the champion's trophy to the Indian Army, who clinched 18 medals, including seven gold, five silver and six bronze, to defend their title. A spirited Himachal Pradesh had to settle for the runner-up title with 6 gold, 5 silver and 7 bronze medals. Union Territory of Ladakh came third with 7 medals, comprising 4 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze.

Himachal Pradesh gave their all on the final day by winning the women's relay gold medal in ski mountaineering but had to settle for second position behind the Indian Army, who retained their Winter Games title by virtue of winning one more gold medal than their rivals on Wednesday.

It was a small heartbreak for Himachal Pradesh as they had clinched seven medals the previous day, including a clean sweep in the Alpine skiing women's slalom event.

Army defended their Winter Games title thanks to an exposure trip to Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China, which gave their confidence of a big boost. The jawans, majorly stationed at the High Altitude Warfare School in Gulmarg, took advantage of local knowledge and acclimatisation to extreme weather conditions including continuous snowfall, strong chilly winds, threat of avalanches and poor visibility.

The Winter Games saw the Indian Army reign supreme in the Nordic skiing events, while the Indo-Tibetan Border Police ruled the same discipline in the women's category.

KIWG witnessed a plethora of multiple medallists including Rajeshwar Singh (2 gold 1 silver in ski mountaineering), Kusum Rana (2 gold 1 bronze in women's Nordic skiing), Sunny Singh (1 gold 1 silver 1 bronze in men's Nordic skiing) and Siddharth Gadekar (1 gold 1 silver in ski mountaineering), among others.

Also evident from the medal tally is that the States with no natural topography for winter sports have fared well in this edition of the Khelo India Winter Games, only proving that the relentless efforts of the Government of India to popularise this niche game is bearing fruit. States like Maharashtra, with 13 medals, and Tamil Nadu, with 5 medals, are enough proof of this.

In the last edition, the Army finished on top of the medal tally with 10 gold, just one more than Karnataka and three more than No. 3 Maharashtra. (ANI)