SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir clinched the team gold in both the junior and senior categories in the first-ever National Curling Championships, which concluded in Gulmarg on Tuesday.
The junior and senior teams from Andhra Pradesh secured the team gold in women’s sections. Teams from Uttarakhand, Telangana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana won silver and bronze in various categories of the four-day long meet.
The tournament saw the participation of about 250 athletes from more than 20 states. London Olympics bronze medallist wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt was the chief guest during the prize-distribution ceremony. He congratulated the medal winners and wished them all the best for future tournaments.
Curling Federation of India’s (CFI) president, Dr Rashmi Saluja, expressed confidence that the Nationals is the stepping stone towards achieving Olympic medal glory for the nation in the coming future.
Dr Saluja, also the chairman of Religare Enterprises, thanked the Jammu & Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC) for supporting the meet and collaborating with the CFI. The tournament was sponsored by financial conglomerate Religare Group and Hamdard Group, among others.
Curling, also popularly known as ‘Chess on Ice’, has been a medal sport in the Winter Olympics since the 1998 edition of the Games. It currently includes men’s, women’s and mixed doubles tournaments. The sport of curling has also been included in the Khelo India Winter Games, organised by the government of India.
