A colourful opening ceremony of six-day National Ice Sports Championship will be held on January 19 (Thursday) in Naltar, Gilgit Baltistan with a huge number of sports lovers waiting to welcome and celebrate the scenic snow-clad mountains event.

An official of the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) said that the championship would be attended by huge crowds including locals, tourists and adventure seekers. The six-day event would start from January 19 and conclude on January 24.

The Championship is a regular annual feature of the Winter Festival in Naltar, in which many teams participate to entertain the people through healthy games. Locals also establish stalls of handicrafts, fruits and foodies during the event,” he added.

He apprised the National Ice Sports championship every year welcomes local and international tourists coming to Gilgit-Baltistan to enjoy the event and other activities throughout the festival.

He said the festival included competitions of ice hockey, ice-skating, paragliding, indigenous games, and a free-lancing seminar and talks on climate change, climate actions eco-system, biodiversity, and wildlife.

He said the championship would greatly help in promoting and projecting winter tourism in the country.