Behind Jammu and Kashmir native Arif Khan’s spectacular entry into Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics is 15 years of hard work and tribulation. Khan is the only Indian to achieve entry into the event. The 31-year-old skier from the Tangmarg area of Baramulla, 10 kilometres from the world-famous ski resort of Gulmarg, was introduced to the sport by his father Muhammad Yaseen, a ski guide at Gulmarg. "He [Khan] was around eight years old when I introduced him to skiing,’’ said Yaseen. After his first brush with the skiing in Gulmarg, he was hooked on the sport and used every opportunity to train.
His love for the sport grew as his training progressed, and he started dreaming of competing in big tournaments. In 2005, he won the national skiing championship. By 2008, he was the fastest skier in the country. He then set his eyes on international events, but lack of proper gear, training and infrastructure was a big hurdle to cross. With an unflinching attitude, he tackled the hurdles as he did in the skiing event in Dubai to qualify for the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022.
In 2018, Khan missed the qualifier by a whisker. Out of the five races, he won four, but failed to complete the last one due to a lack of financial support. This year, he got sponsorship for training, and, since March, he has been training in Austria.
Khan’s entry into the Winter Olympics is no mean feat. After his qualifier, Khan said he found it hard to fund his training in Kashmir due to a lack of finances. "Skiing is an expensive sport," he said. "It takes between Rs 25 lakh to a crore to get proper training, because the proper infrastructure is not available in Kashmir." He said only countries in Europe and some in Asia have proper training facilities available for the skiers.
His father paid for his training by working as a ski guide at Gulmarg. The family later started a ski guide and tour service, but due to disruptions in Kashmir and the COVID-19 pandemic, earnings have been meager. Khan believes it takes ten years to learn the art of skiing to compete with the best in the world. Due to the financial support from JSW Sports and the state government, he has been able to travel to Europe to train for the Beijing Olympics.
Khan’s younger brother Mehrajudin Khan has also followed in his footsteps and won the national snowboarding championship.
In Beijing, Khan will be competing against players from established winter sports countries like Switzerland, France, Germany, Austria and Germany. Whether he bags a medal is immaterial as his journey to the world’s top winter sporting event is a major feat for a man who has been chasing his dream, and has also postponed his wedding to get counted among the best.