Kupwara (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], February 19 (ANI): With an aim to encourage the participation of women in sports, a Women's Snow Cricket tournament was organised in North Kashmir's Kupwara.

Snow cricket has become quite popular among cricket lovers in Kashmir and several tournaments are being organized recently. However, this is the first time a cricket tournament for girls has been organized in Kupwara.

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Organised in Panzgam village, the tournament was part of the Khelo India initiative and brought cheers to thousands of woman sports enthusiasts who have never been seen before.

It is believed that this will provide a huge boost to the morale of young girls in the region and inspire them to take up sports as a career.

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Many videos from the playing field have gone viral on social media where many girls were seen playing cricket on the snow-clad ground with a mesmerising view of the snow-covered mountains at the backdrop.

An official said that the event witnessed a total of four teams from Kralpora and Meelyal Block. It was a first-of-its-kind event in northern Kashmir's frontier district, wherein young girls played cricket on a snowy field, demonstrating the community's passion for sports. The girls engaged enthusiastically in the game with strong passion, he said.

"Public representatives and locals from the area were present to witness the first-ever winter sports tournament for girls in this area," he said, adding that such frequent events conducted have seen widespread participation of local women.

Over 10,000 spectators who came from Nook and the corner of northern Kashmir witnessed cheering and encouraging the female players of teams during the match.

"Thousands of spectators came here to watch the match, which was never seen here before as such events are being held for the first time in our district," a young cricketer said. She hopes that more girls would participate in cricket matches in the future. "It was a dream for the girls who are interested in cricket here to play a cricket match and finally it was fulfilled," she said.

Another cricketer-lover said that sports infrastructure for girls should be further developed in Kashmir as the girls there has great potential in the sports field.

"It is a good initiative that more and more girls will get involved in sports so that the talent of girls can also be exposed to the rest of the country because we are not less than anyone," said another girl.

A local said people are happy over the peaceful environment in the region.

"We will leave no stone unturned to promote tourism in our area because now there is a peaceful environment which is the greatest joy for the people here," said a local.

Recently, Jasia Akhter from South Kashmir's Shopian district bagged her maiden Women's Premier League (WPL) deal of Rs 20 lakh from Delhi capitals. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)