Indian Athletes in Winter Olympics
In Beijing Olympics 2022, India participated for 11th times at the Olympics On the other hand Summer Olympics, India has competed in 25 editions. It means appearances at the Winter Olympics is pretty much low in number as compared to summer Olympics. India made its Olympic debut in1900 by sending only one athlete, Norman Pritchard. He won two silver medals in athletics and became the first Asian to win an Olympic medal.
Although India is one of the sub-tropical countries, still there is not that much interest in winter sports and due to it, There is lack of development in infrastructure and other related fields as compared to development and focus on Summer Games. After 40 years first athlete was sent to the quadrennial extravaganza and Jeremy Bujakowski became the first Indian athlete to compete at the 1964 Winter Olympics held in Austria. At that time He participated in the men’s downhill alpine skiing event and then in the Winter Games of 1968, He participated in three events – men’s downhill, slalom and giant slalom.
After Winter Games of 1968, India took break for 20 years and returned to the 1988 Winter Games held in Canada with a contingent of three– Shailaja Kumar (women’s slalom), Gul Dev (slalom), and Kishor Rahtna Rai (slalom).
Neha Ahuja becomes the second woman athlete from India to participate at the Winter Olympics in Italy in 2006 after Shailaja Kumar’s participation in 1988.
Shiva Keshavan became the youngest to qualify for the sport in Winter Games in 1998 at the young age of 16. He was also the Six-time Winter Olympian.
India at Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics
Mohammad Arif Khan is the only Indian athlete to participate in Beijing Olympics 2022. With that, He also becomes the first Indian athlete to got a quota place for the Winter Olympics 2022.
List of Indian Athletes in Winter Olympics (1964-2022)
Here’s the list of India who represented India and won the medal in Winter Olympics from 1964 to 2022. Check it out –
| Year | Names of players and associated events |
|---|---|
| 1964 | Jeremy Bujakowski (downhill) |
| 1968 | Jeremy Bujakowski (downhill, giant slalom, slalom) |
| 1988 | Shailaja Kumar (women’s slalom); Gul Dev (slalom); Kishor Rahtna Rai (slalom) |
| 1992 | Lal Chuni (slalom, giant slalom); Nanak Chand (slalom, giant slalom) |
| 1998 | Shiva Keshavan (luge) |
| 2002 | Shiva Keshavan (luge) |
| 2006 | Neha Ahuja (women’s slalom, giant slalom); Hira Lal (giant slalom); Bahadur Gupta (cross-country sprint); Shiva Keshavan (luge) |
| 2010 | Jamyang Namgial (giant slalom); Tashi Lundup (cross-country 15km freestyle); Shiva Keshavan (luge) |
| 2014 | Himanshu Thakur (giant slalom); Nadeem Iqbal (cross-country 15km classical); Shiva Keshavan (luge) |
| 2018 | Jagdish Singh (cross-country 15km freestyle); Shiva Keshavan (luge) |
| 2022 | Arif Mohammed Khan (slalom, giant slalom) |
FAQs Related to Indian Athletes in Winter Olympics (1964-2022)
Q1. How many Indians participated in 2022 Winter Olympics?
Ans. Just 1 – Arif Mohammed Khan (slalom, giant slalom).
Q2. Name the first Indian to participate in Winter Olympics?
Ans. Jeremy Bujakowski, who competed in the men’s downhill event in alpine skiing.
Q3. What is the rank of India in Winter Olympics 2022?
Ans. India’s Arif Khan finishes 45th in Giant Slalom event.
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