The highest number of Indian winter sports athletes ever are set to take part in international races this season, as the legacy of 2022 Winter Olympian Arif Khan continues to grow.

With 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles) of mountain ranges, India has long had the potential to be a leader in winter sports, but a lack of governance and tradition has held it back for years.

There are still only three key resorts; Manali, a town in the Kullu Valley, Kashmir, and Auli in Uttarakhand, where the country's only International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) approved ski slope is located. Auli is slated to host India's national games in 2025.

Skiing is increasing in popularity, in part because of Indian celebrities posting about Kashmir during the pandemic. Now, thanks to the committed and tireless work of three key figures, India's winter sports scene is hoping to establish itself on the world stage.

Current chairman of the ad-hoc committee of Ski and Snowboard India (SSI) Shiva Keshavan, who in 1998 became the first Indian to compete in luge at the Winter Olympic Games, Arif Khan, and Bhavani Thekkada, the country's most successful nordic ski athlete, have been leading the charge for better governance, more funding and support.

Last year, 700 athletes competed in the Khelo India Winter Games, and the government picked up the tab. This year, three national events are on offer,........

© Deutsche Welle