Herum Khan came to know about Ice curling sport two years ago when she was into skiing. After getting inclination towards the not so common sport in Kashmir, she participated in The First National Curling Championship held for the first time in India’s history at Gulmarg in 2021-22 where she won bronze medal.
“When I started participating in Ice curling, I developed more interest in the game and continued to participate,” she said adding “girls are winning more medals then boys.”
She was recently selected for Khaelo India to be held in Gulmarg this year. Notably, Herum has also been selected to participate in International Curling Championship to be held in Sweden.
Hailing from HMT area of Srinagar, the 17-year-old has also participated in National Skiing Championship, earlier.
Curling is a team sport, played on ice, where two teams take it in turns to slide stones made of granite towards a target known as a House. Across India, Gulmarg is the only place having high altitude scatting rink where the ice curling is played.
Muskaan Nabi is another young ice curling player from north Kashmir’s Sopore town who started playing the game in 2021. She has participated in two National Curling Championships both of which were held atGulmarg.
The 21-year-old athlete said they are getting a good support from the J&K Curling Association and J&K Sports Council.
“During the events, we are familiarized with national and international players and coaches. We get a very good support that encourages me more,” she said.
Ice curling is an Olympic sport and players can get a chance to play and take part at the international platforms. “It is an easy-to-practice and easy-to-learn game,” she said adding she wants to take part in an international camp in Sweden in the coming time.
In 2022, she won silver in the First National Curling Championship and this year she won a gold and two bronze medals in the Second National Curling Championship in Gulmarg.
Sheikh Basit Saleem, a 6th Semester student of BA LLB at University of Kashmir, is another curling player who was also quick to learn the sport soon after it was introduced.
“Before this I knew about floor curling but not about ice curling. The National Curling Federation of India held camps due to which many players got to know about it,” he said.
The 21-year-old player is winner of two bronze medals in National Curling Championships.
A resident of Dialgam in Anantnag, he said this year, the J&K Sports Council conducted screening of players.
“Earlier, the game was not familiar to Kashmiri players but now players are actively taking part in the game and they want to learn it,” he said.
Saleem aims to take part in International Winter Olympics in future. “Along with my studies I practice for curling at home on mat and when I get time I also go to Gulmarg. When there is any event we start practicing before 15 days,” he said.
Also known as Chess on Ice, curling is more complex and tense than many would imagine because of the amount of strategy involved. It involves players sliding heavy and polished stones on a sheet of ice towards a circular target. There are various categories in curling including men’s, women’s, mixed doubles and wheelchair curling as a paralympic sport.
Introduction of ice curling in India
The ice curling sport was introduced in India in 2021 by two Kashmiri players, Showkat Rasool and Gulzar Ahmad, who were already korfball players and got unconditional support from Mohammad Arshad, Founder Curling Federation of India. Showkat and Gulzar are cousin brothers hailing from Awantipora in Pulwama.
They introduced ice curling with technical support from Technical Director, P N Raju an International Silver Medalist. And India started its international debut in pan Continental Championship with Silver Medal in men’s category.
Showkat, now Founder of J&K Curling Association, said they started the game in Aug 2021 at a seminar in Anantnag in which more than 172 players sponsored by Curling Federation of India across Kashmir participated.
“Later, we organized district-level awareness camps of the floor curling in various districts in valley especially in south Kashmir in2021,” he said.
After the successful introduction of the floor curling, the association organized camps for 76 players on Ice at Gulmarg and they learned the basics of the game on ice. The association got an opportunity to introduce the game of curling on ice first in India at Gulmarg in 2021.
The J&K Curling Association in association with Curling Federation of India and J&K Sports Council organized the First National Curling Championship in 2021-22 and the Second National Curling Championship in 2022-23 was held recently at Gulmarg.
“At least 300 players across the country participated and J&K emerged as overall champion in men’s category and Andhra Pradesh in women’s category,” said Showkat.
He said after organizing the First National, it was included in Khelo India Winter Games but because of Covid-19, the games were not held.
In 2022, J&K Curling Association started affiliation process and selected district secretaries in all the districts of Kashmir which is seen very rare in the Sports Association.
After the first Championship, the J&K Curling Association organized District Level Championship on floor as floor curling (ice-less curling) at various venues in Kulgam, Anantnag, Budgam, Ganderbal, Pulwama and Tangmarg in Baramulla.
“We are thankful to Secretary J&K Sports Council, Nuzhat Gull for sporting the Olympic Game and poor players from Kashmir to prepare for international level camps and world championships,” said Showkat.
During the Second National held in Gulmarg from January 3 to 8, J&K emerged in overall champions in Sub-Junior, Junior Category and first runner-up in the senior category with 9 gold, 2 silver, and 29 bronze Medals.
The J&K Curling Association has proposed the CEO, Curling Federation of India, for opening a curling school at Gulmarg to provide training to interested players of the country.
“The school once functional will not only produce international players but will also provide employment to youth involved in the game. Besides game development, the school will help tourism industry grow,” he said.
The Curling Federation of India recently held its annual meeting and discussed to organize international level bonspiels at the highest altitude Ice-Skating Rink Gulmarg in which more than 200 participants across the world are expected to participate.
Now, international equipment, gifted by the CEO Curling Federation of India, are available with J&K Curling Association. “We are providing the equipment to J&K Sports Council also for the Khelo India Games,” said Showkat.
Mohammad Arshad, the CEO Curling Federation of India and its Secretary General, Mohd Danish guide and support all programs whether floor curling or ice curling in all aspects.
“Curling is a centuries-old sport played by delivering heavy granite rocks down a long sheet of ice. To encourage growth of curling around the country Curling Federation of India employs a team of competition and development officers and produces resources to aid development activity,” the CEO said.
“It is an Olympic and Paralympic winter sport with medal disciplines for women’s, men’s, mixed doubles and mixed wheelchair teams,” Danish said.
