NEW DELHI, Dec 23: Over 250 sportspersons representing 13 teams will participate in the First National Winter Games at Gulmarg,to be inaugurated by Prime Minister IK Gujral on January 28 next year.

President KR Narayanan is expected to be the chief guest at the closing ceremony of the Games which will be held at Srinagar on February two.Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah told newspersons here this evening that `Gulmarg 1998' will bring the state back on the sporting map of the country.

``The Prime Minister has accepted our invitation to inaugurate the Games and I will be requesting the President to preside over the closing ceremony functions at Srinagar'' Dr Abdullah said.

He disclosed that suggestions were made to postpone the games in view of the elections but ``I took the stand that games should go on, it is high time that Gulmarg gets back its glory''. He asserted that all arrangements have been made for the successful conduct of the games and hoped that the state will be able to hold international competitions in future.

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Suresh Kalmadi who also addressed the press conference said the second Winter Games will be held in Manali (Himachal Pradesh) in 2000 and the third at Ouli (UP) in 2002.

The IOA has formed a Winter Games organising committee which is being headed by Dr Farooq Abdullah and with Col N Kumar as its convenor.

Mr Kalmadi said that he along with Col N Kumar, who is also the president of Winter Games Federation of India, had visited Gulmarg and after that organising committee of the Games also had a meeting there. ``We all were satisfied with the facilities and security arrangements there,''he added.

Col Kumar said 13 events in four discipline-alpine skiing, cross country skiing, biathlon and ice skating- will be held during the six day long games.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.