{"id":1151,"date":"2025-10-13T19:55:39","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T19:55:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/?p=1151"},"modified":"2025-10-13T19:55:39","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T19:55:39","slug":"gulmarg-amazes-downhill-global-riders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/2025\/10\/13\/gulmarg-amazes-downhill-global-riders\/","title":{"rendered":"Gulmarg amazes downhill global riders"},"content":{"rendered":"

Waris Fayaz<\/strong><\/p>\n

Srinagar, Oct 13:\u00a0<\/strong>Gulmarg has once again captured global attention as the world\u2019s top mountain bikers concluded the first-ever international-standard downhill mountain biking event, praising the destination for its stunning landscape, smooth organisation and welcoming atmosphere.<\/p>\n

The event, part of the MTB Downhill \u2013 Zabarvan Legends Series brought together 23 professional athletes, including 9 international participants from Australia, Italy, Brazil, Taiwan, Indonesia and the Czech Republic. The competition featured a challenging 2.5 km high-difficulty trail through Gulmarg\u2019s steep slopes, combining technical precision with breathtaking scenery.<\/p>\n

Minister for Youth Services and Sports, Satish Sharma, who presided over the closing ceremony, hailed the global participation and called the athletes \u201cambassadors of peace\u201d. He said the event reflected a new and confident image of Jammu and Kashmir before the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe participants from across the globe are our ambassadors of peace. They should tell the world that Jammu and Kashmir, especially Kashmir, is safe,” Sharma said. \u201cWe have come up with the odds and are messengers of peace. Through sports, we will tell the world that everything is safe here”.<\/p>\n

The minister said the government was determined to promote sports tourism and generate employment through such initiatives. \u201cWe are committed to uplifting sports tourism in Jammu and Kashmir. We will not bow down before challenges. We should always stay hopeful”, he said, lauding the efforts of the Gulmarg administration and all stakeholders involved in hosting the event.<\/p>\n

Gulmarg CEO Tariq Hussain credited Zabarvan for taking the initial initiative and said the event\u2019s success showed that Gulmarg has the infrastructure and capability to host world-class sporting events.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was Zabarvan who came up with the idea of hosting an international-standard downhill mountain biking event. We worked together to make it a reality,” Hussain said. \u201cThe event\u2019s success reflects the teamwork between the government, the organisers and the sponsors. It shows Gulmarg\u2019s potential and readiness for global adventure tourism”.<\/p>\n

The CEO said the weather conditions played a crucial role in the event\u2019s success, calling it \u201ca perfect blend of nature and human effort\u201d. \u201cThe message is clear, Gulmarg is ready for the world. Its natural terrain, infrastructure and hospitality make it one of the most promising adventure destinations,” he added.<\/p>\n

Athletes from various countries expressed joy and admiration for Gulmarg. \u201cThe venue was amazing and challenging. We enjoyed every bit of it,\u201d said a group of international riders. An athlete from Australia said, \u201cI am very surprised to be here. The place is beautiful. I will remember this race forever”. Others echoed similar feelings, saying, \u201cWe will be back to explore more\u201d.<\/p>\n

Zabarvan Founder Sehan Shetty said the Gulmarg event marked the launch of Phase Three of their long-term mission to unify India\u2019s mountain sports community. \u201cThis milestone follows 1.5 years of discussions and support from both central and state governments. It coincides with Zabarvan\u2019s second anniversary,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Zabarvan Legends Series will continue with two more legs in Shillong and Guwahati, featuring different terrains and challenges.<\/p>\n

Shetty said the initiative goes beyond sports promotion, focusing on nurturing homegrown talent and developing indigenous adventure gear.<\/p>\n

He thanked the Jammu and Kashmir administration, Gulmarg Development Authority and sponsors for making the series possible\u2014(KNO)<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Waris Fayaz Srinagar, Oct 13:\u00a0Gulmarg has once again captured global attention as the world\u2019s top mountain bikers concluded the first-ever international-standard downhill mountain biking event, praising the destination for its stunning landscape, smooth organisation and welcoming atmosphere. The event, part of the MTB Downhill \u2013 Zabarvan Legends Series brought together 23 professional athletes, including 9 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1152,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1151","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1151"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1151\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1153,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1151\/revisions\/1153"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}