Jammu, 25-10-2024: Sham Lal Sharma, former minister and MLA North Jammu inaugurated the 24th J&K UT Sport Climbing Championship organized by the Mountaineering Association of J&K at Tenzing Norgay Sport Climbing wall in the Sprawling Buds ICSE School campus, Bantalab, Jammu, today. Prominent among others present on the occasion included Zorawar Singh Jamwal, President;Ram Khajuria, Sr. Vice President; Shawetica Khajuria, General Secretary of Mountaineering Association of J&K; Rahul Sharma, Chairman and Ramesh Khajuria, Director of Sprawling Buds ICSE School, Jammu; Arti Sharma, Chairperson Apple kids International Pre School, Bantalab, Jammu,General Secretary District Mountaineering Association Jammu Sonam Sidharth; Office bearers of District Mountaineering Associations of Udhampur, Reasi, Anantnag, Samba, Srinagar, Pulwama, Budgam, Shopian, Doda, Kulgam besides Jameel Mustaffa, President of Sunridges Trekking and Mountaineering Club, Pulwama and managers and coaches of various participating institutions.
Baljinder Pal Singh, Divisional Sports Officer(J) and Anil Wadhera, Boxing Coach attend the inaugural ceremony as observers from J&K Sports Council.
While addressing the distinguished gathering of the two day championship in which over 400 climbers are participating Sham Lal Sharma said that there is a great need of another stadium in Jammu city because of its expanding area and population and he would pursue this matter with the government. The government of India is very particular and liberal regarding the development of sports infra structure in J&K, he added. He lauded the role played by the Mountaineering Association of J&K for the promotion of adventure games in the UT and hoped that very soon the newly built sport climbing wall in the MA Stadium would be handed over to the Association after making certain necessary changes as per the latest requirements of the game.
President of the Association Zorawar Singh Jamwal in his presidential address stressed the need to promote more and more sports with necessary infrastructure so that the youth of the UT can be saved from the ill effects of drugs.He appealed to the Government to hand over the climbing wall to the association at the earliest to enable it to produce more and more international climbers.
Meanwhile, competitions in the Sub Junior Boys and Girls categories in which about 300 boys and girls are participating were in progress and semi final results are expected in the evening.
The 2-day championship is being organised by Mountaineering Association of J&K in collaboration with Sprawling Buds ICSE School, Jammu under the aegis of Indian Mountaineering Foundation North Zone Committee, New Delhi and sponsored by J&K Sports Council.