PESHAWAR: The men and women’s giant slalom and parallel giant slalom competitions attracted tourists on the secondary of the Pakistan International Snowboarding Championship and Festival at the Malam Jabba ski resort in the scenic Swat valley on Saturday.
Commissioner Malakand division, Zaheerul Islam, was the chief guest, who inaugurated the men and women’s giant slalom and parallel giant slalom competitions on the occasion.
Over 44 national and international players, including four women players and enthusiasts of snowboarding games from European countries, Belgium, France Afghanistan and Pakistan participated in the event.
The men and women’s giant slalom and parallel giant slalom thrilling competitions mesmerized the tourists and visitors when the players exhibited their skills on the white snow at the Malam Jabba ski resort.
The foreign tourists said that they were proud to be in Pakistan, particularly in the Swat valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to participate in the snowboarding games and visit the tourist spots.
They said that Swat was a stunning valley with enormous beauty and sereneness on its mountain and plains.
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.
Music programme were also being organized at the evening to entertain the tourists and players.
The concluding ceremony of International Snowboarding Championship and Festival will be held today.
The championship is 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.
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 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.