Shimla, Dec. 18: Open grounds and village ponds in upper Shimla are being converted into ice-skating rinks as local communities, supported by sports bodies, push to expand winter sports in the region, officials said.
A pond at Ghoond village in Theog subdivision is currently being developed into a 60-by-30-meter ice-skating rink, according to the Himachal Pradesh Ice Skating Association. The initiative follows the construction of a rink last year at Cheog village, about 40 kilometers from Shimla.
“People have developed a sudden interest in ice skating in these areas,” said Pradeep Kanwar, vice president of the state ice skating association. “After Cheog, we are now converting a pond at Ghoond, and proposals are coming in from many other places.”
Two additional sites — one in Kotkhai and another on the road to Churdhar — are under consideration, Kanwar said.
Rajesh Bhandari, general secretary of the Himachal Pradesh Olympic Association, said work at Ghoond has already begun. “When I saw the pond, it struck me as ideal for ice skating,” he said. “I contacted Ice Skating Association of India president Amitabh Sharma, and he immediately agreed to support the project.”
Once completed, organizers plan to approach the state government to use the facility for promoting winter games, Bhandari said.
Kanwar said the national ice skating body aims to develop rinks at the panchayat level over the coming years. “The goal is to identify talent early and prepare skaters from Himachal for international competitions,” he said.
