15-Day Girls Ice Hockey Camp concludes in Kargil
Kargil, Feb 10: Reaffirming the Hill Council’s commitment to promoting women’s participation in sports, Kacho Mohd Feroz, Executive Councillor for Tourism, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Kargil, on Tuesday said that girls in Kargil must be provided equal access, proper infrastructure and long-term support to excel in winter sports. He was speaking at the closing ceremony of a 15-day ice hockey training and tournament for girls held in the district.
The programme was organised by the District Hub for Women, Mission Shakti, Department of Social and Tribal Welfare, Kargil, in collaboration with the District Youth Services and Sports Department and the Ice Hockey Association Kargil. The initiative was conducted under the national “Save the Girl Child, Educate the Girl Child” scheme with the aim of encouraging girls to take up sports and develop holistically.
Addressing the gathering, Kacho Mohd Feroz said that sports camps of this nature play a direct role in building confidence, discipline and leadership among young girls. He asserted that the Council, in coordination with the Sports Department, must move beyond short-term events and work towards structured policies, including exposure tours and advanced training opportunities for promising sportspersons.
The Executive Councillor underlined the need for quality sports equipment and adequate safety gear, stating that safe training conditions are essential to sustain girls’ participation in competitive sports. He added that opportunities should be extended purely on merit and capacity, without discrimination.
Referring to ice hockey and speed skating, Feroz called for coordinated efforts between the Hill Council and the District Administration to strengthen winter sports infrastructure across the district. He assured that full support would be extended in the coming years to ensure that future camps are better equipped, technically stronger and more professionally managed.
He also thanked the Youth Services and Sports Department, the ICDS team, parents and participants for their cooperation and expressed confidence that the trained girls would represent Kargil at national and international competitions.
Among those present were Imteeaz Kacho, Additional Deputy Commissioner Kargil, Nargis Banoo, District Programme Officer, ICDS Kargil, and Abid Ali, District Youth Services and Sports Officer, along with other officials, parents and students.
Speaking on the occasion, ADC Imteeaz Kacho said that the District Administration, Youth Services and Sports Department and the Ice Hockey Association Kargil would continue to organise similar programmes in the future. He praised ICDS Kargil for effectively concluding the camp and said that girls possess strong patience and sporting potential.
He further stressed the need to organise longer-duration camps in coordination with multiple departments and called for identifying more locations suitable for ice hockey in the district. He assured continued administrative support to women-focused initiatives.
Earlier, DPO ICDS Kargil, Nargis Banoo, informed that the 15-day camp provided training in both basic and intermediate levels of ice hockey. She congratulated the participants for their discipline, confidence and team spirit, and assured sustained support for such programmes.
The programme concluded with the distribution of prizes to top performers in the Under-19, Under-14 and Under-12 categories, while certificates were awarded to all participating girls.
