Leh (Ladakh), Jan 20 (IANS) Defending champions Ladakh women and Army men made emphatic starts in the Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG) 2026 ice-hockey competition in Leh, Ladakh, on Tuesday. The fancied teams, ITBP, ITBP, and Himachal Pradesh, also finished on the winning side in their respective matches.

The curtains went up on the sixth edition of the KIWG at the Nawang Dorjan Stobdan (NDS) Stadium in Leh on Tuesday. The Ladakh phase of the winter Games, which will host ice sports like skating and hockey, will conclude on January 26. This is the third time that the Union Territory of Ladakh is hosting KIWG. The snow leg of KIWG will be held in Gulmarg, Jammu & Kashmir, later this year.

At a colourful opening ceremony, punctuated by traditional music and dance and an exhibition ice-hockey match between Army and Ladakh men, Khelo India Winter Games 2026 were declared open by the Hon’ble Lt Governor of Ladakh, Shri Kavinder Gupta.

The first leg of the Khelo India Winter Games 2026 will be organised by the Youth Services and Sports department of the Union Territory of Ladakh under the supervision of the Sports Authority of India (SAI). The technical expertise for the conduct of the Games will be provided by the national sports promotional bodies/federations managing ice sports.

Day 1 got off to a rousing start with two women’s hockey matches at the Ladakh Scouts Regimental Centre. In a group B contest, ITBP, last year’s runners-up, thrashed Rajasthan 6-0, but it was the Ladakh girls who decimated Telangana 19-1 in a group A match. Padma Desal scored five times while Padma Chorol scored three more for the host team.

Men’s action started at the NDS Stadium after the opening ceremony. Defending men’s champions Army drubbed Himachal Pradesh 5-1 in a group A match. The Army team found the back of the net through five different scorers to show the all-round impact of the squad. ITBP men too sounded their intentions in group B. They scored 16 goals without reply from Rajasthan. Stanzin Mingure (thrice) and Tashi Tundup (twice) were the lead scorers for ITBP.

ICE-HOCKEY RESULTS:

Women:

(Gr B) ITBP beat Rajasthan 6-0; Himachal Pradesh beat Haryana 2-1

(Gr A) Ladakh beat Telangana 19-1

(Men)

(Gr A) Army beat Himachal Pradesh 5-1

(Gr B) ITBP beat Rajasthan 16-0.

--IANS

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