PESHAWAR: The Pakistan International Snowboarding Championship and Festival has kicked off at the scenic Malam Jabba tourist spot in Swat valley.
Over 44 national and international players, including four women players and enthusiasts of snowboarding game from European countries, Belgium, Afghanistan and Pakistan are participating in the event.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority (KP-CTA) under the auspices of the Tourism, Sports, Archaeology, Culture, Museums and Youth Affairs Department and the Samson Group of Companies have jointly organized the spectacular event.
Besides snowboarding game, traditional foods and music festival is also part of the gala to entertain the tourists and visitors.
According to programme, men and women joint slalom and parallel joint slalom thrilling competitions will be held today in which the players will exhibited their skills. Music programme will also be organized at the evening to entertain the tourists and players.
The concluding ceremony of International Snowboarding Championship and Festival will be held tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Mahgul Kabir, a yoga trainer from Gilgit-Baltistan, also imparted yoga training to the participants at Malam Jabba.
Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered slope while standing on a snowboard attached to a rider’s feet.
The game is so popular that it even features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympic Games at the international level.
Malam Jabba is the only civil skiing resort in Pakistan at about 8500 feet above the sea level.
The provincial government has taken worth mentioning steps that led to promotion of tourism, sports and preserving the rich heritage, cultural and archaeology sites in the province.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has abundant natural beauty of lush green valleys, snow-capped mountains, deserts, rivers, landscapes, rich cultural and traditional heritage and history, springs, streams and serene spots.
Because of these attractions, millions of people visit to experience the beauty it has to offer.
The KP Tourism Department had also arranged the thrilling snowboarding games championship at the scenic Malam Jabba resort last year. The event was well-received by all and a large number of people from across the country and international tourists had participated in the event.
The organisers said that the snowboarding championship would send a positive message to the world that peace had been restored and tourism activities in full swing in Malakand and Hazara divisions and elsewhere in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
They said that strenuous efforts were being made to develop scenic spots and make facilities available there to attract domestic and foreign tourists to the province.
The championship is also aimed at bringing the serene spots, including Malam Jabba, Madyan, Bahrain and elsewhere in the valley, back to life and attracting tourists to these destinations.
