Srinagar, July 27: With its snow-covered slopes, glacier-fed rivers and a rising generation of athletes, Jammu and Kashmir has the potential to win Olympic medals in water and winter sports for the country, top Kashmiri athlete Bilquis Mir has said.
Mir, the first Indian female to represent India as a jury member in the 2024 Paris Olympics, said she wants J&K and the country at the highest podium and will continue her efforts in this direction.
The 38-year-old Srinagar girl was all praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his regular interactions with sportspersons and said it is a big moment for a player and a step towards creating a sports culture.
“My dream is to see J&K and the country at the highest podium on the global stage. J&K has the potential to successfully lead India in the water and winter sports at the Olympics because we have natural resources as well as the requisite talent which needs to be tapped,” Mir said.
Mir, a famous Kayaking and Canoeing player and a recipient of numerous medals including the state award in sports category in 2010, said she had coached young players in Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur and many other places within and outside the country but “our children (from J&K) have great potential to go to the Asian Games and Olympics and I feel their future is bright.”
She said the government should engage with prominent players and achievers, as they have expertise in their fields and can assist in making a roadmap for the future.
Mir was recently in the news after winning her three-year legal battle for quashing an FIR filed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau, with the Jammu and Kashmir High Court delivering a scathing indictment of authorities, saying it “seems that the people at the helm of affairs are leaving no stone unturned in harassing such talented people”. (PTI)
