Why Arif Khan, India’s Only Athlete At Winter Olympics, Matters

Mohammad Arif Khan was the only athlete at Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Hailing from J&K’s Baramulla district, Arif became the first-ever skier from India to have qualified for the Olympics in both slalom and giant slalom.

Though he stood 45th in the Beijing Winter Olympics, millions in India wished him good luck as he led the one-man Indian team, himself.

J&K's first-ever Olympian, Gul Mustafa Dev, who represented India in the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada, sees an ambassador and icon in Arif. Gul Mustafa is sure that Arif's rise will give a big boost to winter sport not only in Kashmir but across India.

This local Kashmiri boy's emergence on the world sports scene is set to change this Kashmir’s image.

Voices from the valley say that budding athletes see Arif's presence in Beijing Olympics as the 'Neeraj Chopra moment' for them - a beacon of hope and inspiration.