Inaugural edition of Khelo India Water Sports Festival gets off to a sparkling start in Srinagar

 Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Nikhil Khadse graces opening ceremony as hosts Jammu and Kashmir strike gold on Day 1

Rakesh Thapliyal

Srinagar:  The inaugural edition of the KIWSF got off to a sparkling start with a local shikarawalla Mohsin Ali, winning the first gold medal of the Games.

The three-day event, ending on August 23, will see more than 500 athletes from 28 states and Union Territories taking part in five events. While rowing, canoeing and kayaking will have 24 medals up for grabs, shikara sprints, Dragon boat race and water skiing will be the demonstration events.

The opening ceremony of the KIWSF was graced by the Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, Smt Raksha Nikhil Khadse. The Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor of J&K Shri Manoj Sinha was the chief guest while the Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Omar Abdullah was the guest of honour. J&K’s sports minister Satish Sharma was also present.

The opening ceremony, besides the Dal Lake, was an attractive affair. Folk dancers and local artists added the local flavour as athletes, coaches and volunteers lined up at Sheri Kashmir International Convocation Centre to welcome the Khelo India Water Sports Festival 2025. In the expanding Khelo India calendar, the KIWSF is the second addition after the Khelo India Beach Games in Diu in May.

The Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, declared the Khelo India Water Sports Festival open through a video message on Thursday.

“Today, when athletes step into Kashmir’s Dal Lake with zeal and enthusiasm to create history, the sight will not only thrill all sports lovers, but will also present to the world a powerful picture of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (One India, Great India),” said Dr Mandaviya, adding: “I extend my best wishes to all the young athletes participating in this Khelo India Water Sports Festival. My wish is that you continue to uphold the pride of our nation with the same sporting spirit. With these words, I declare the Khelo India Water Sports Festival Open.”

Dr Mandaviya said: “Since 2014, when the successful government of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji came to power, we have been clear in our vision to make India a global sporting powerhouse. Under the Khelo India Games, we started organizing different sporting events across the country. We are proud to introduce the Khelo India Water Games in Jammu and Kashmir.”

“Through the Khelo Bharat Niti (National Sports Policy), we want to make sports the culture of the nation. With the goal of Har Ghar Khel, Ghar-Ghar Khel (Sports in every home), our government has been consistently working in this direction for the last 11 years,” said Dr Mandaviya.

Dr Mandaviya further added: “Just last week, the National Sports Governance Bill 2025 was passed in Parliament. Through this, we have now moved towards historic reforms not only in sports but also in sports governance.”

“Water sports is very attractive and when it happens in the backdrop of natural beauty, it becomes even more thrilling. These Games are a great advertisement to youths to engage with a sports activity. In India, we have so many water bodies and natural surfaces to take part in adventure sports. It is PM Modi’s dream to lift the sporting culture of the nation and I think these Games and the Winter Games provide wonderful opportunities,” Smt Khadse said.

For hosts Jammu and Kashmir, it was a wonderful start to the Games. Mohsin Ali, a 17-year-old who also works as a shikarawalla in the Dal Lake, won the first gold medal of KIWSF 2025. It came in the men’s singles kayaking race. Ali clocked 4:12.41 seconds in the 1000m race to win his first national-level gold ahead of Odisha’s Naoram James Singh (4:14.68) and Mayank of Madhya Pradesh (4:23.28).

Two more golds were decided in the canoeing and kayaking competition. Vishal Kumar of Uttar Pradesh won the gold in the canoe singles. For the 1000 metres race, Vishal clocked 4:30.59 seconds. Krishna Jat of Madhya Pradesh (4:31.36) got silver while Mohammed Hussain of Jammu & Kashmir got the bronze with a timing of 4:32.83 seconds.

“There is a lot of difference between participating in a water sports event in Uttar Pradesh and in Jammu and Kashmir due to the difference in altitude from sea level and it causes breathing issues for those from the plains. But I was able to negotiate that and win gold,” said Vishal.

In the day’s only final for women, Odisha’s Rasmita Sahoo won the gold in 200 metre canoe singles event, clocking 53.53 seconds. Kerala’s Nakshathra Santosh (53.83) and MP’s Masuma Yadav (54.26) won silver and bronze.

For more on KIWSF 2025: www.Water.kheloindia.gov.in

For Medal tally: https://water.kheloindia.gov.in/medal-tally

ABOUT KHELO INDIA WATER SPORTS FESTIVAL

The Khelo India Water Sports Festival is an addition to the Khelo India calendar. Being organized between August 21-23 at the iconic Dal Lake in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, the KIWSF will feature six sports like rowing, canoeing, kayaking, water skiing, shikara race and dragon boat race. Thirty-six states and Union Territories will take part in the first-ever Games which is an Open age category meet. This water sports carnival will be the second Khelo India event in J&K after the Khelo India Winter Games held in Gulmarg. Launched in 2017-18, Khelo India is a mission to promote sports culture at the grassroots level and also aimed at organized talent identification, structured sporting competitions and infrastructure development.