National ice skating competition off to flying start

Shimla: The National ice skating competition got off to a flying start at the Asia's oldest natural ice skating rink here today.

Uncertainty hovered over holding the mega event due to inclement weather but the organisers started the competition today morning after the local MeT office dry weather for the next four days.

Besides hosts Himachal Pradesh, about 200 skaters from Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Naidu, Utter Pradesh, Uttrakhand, West Bengal and Delhi, and four girls from foreign countries will also be competing in novice, junior, sub junior and senior categories in men and women sections.

"The Shimla Ice Skating Club is holding the event for the fourth year in a row and the number of participant has increased, which was good sign," said Bhuvnesh Banga, Secretary of the Club.

"Shreya (15) from United States, who has come to India to pay a visit to her grandparents living in Kolkata said that she could not resist the temptation of participating in the event and is competing in junior girls category," he added.

The Ice Skating season is squeezing due to rise in temperature and so far 25 sessions have been held during the current winters against 111 sessions in 1997, which was a record.