File photos of Amina and Ifrah Wali. PHOTO: SHABBIR MIR
Pakistan’s skiing champions from Gilgit-Baltistan have been selected for the qualifying rounds of the upcoming Winter Olympics – making them the first women from the country to make it to the qualifiers.
Amina Wali and Ifrah Wali will be competing for a spot in the games to be held in Sochi, Russia, next year. Amina and Ifrah had won a gold and silver medal for Pakistan in the first South Asian Winter Games held in India in 2011. They beat contestants from Sri Lanka, Nepal and India in the giant slalom.
“We are very excited about this news and hopefully we will live up to everyone’s expectations,” said Amina, who is an undergraduate student at the Karakoram International University. Her sister, Ifrah, is a student at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST).
“It will be a tough job to qualify in view of the limited time available before the qualifying rounds start,” Amina told The Express Tribune on Saturday.
Asked what if they fail to qualify, the determined skiers said they would undergo more training and attempt to qualify for the 2018 Olympics.
She thanked the Ski Federation of Pakistan and the International Ski Federation and said the collaboration of both the organisations made the sisters’ participation possible.
The qualifying rounds are likely to take place somewhere in Turkey or Lebanon during December and January.
About getting leave from their respective universities, Amina said they have been assured of their full support if they get selected.
Amina and Ifrah, the progeny of the Gushpur family – the former royal family in Ghizer district – excelled in the sport of skiing as they spent most of their childhood growing up in the snow-capped mountains of Gilgit-Baltistan.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 20th, 2013.
Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that Sochi is in Japan, the error is regretted.
COMMENTS (18)
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Congratulations to these ladies! Pakistan is proud of you! (Im waiting for the indians who will somehow find a way to bash Pakistan in this article too) ;)
Wonderful and pitiful... Wonderful as these young pakistanis making history at the time when Musalmaans are killing young girls and destroying schools in pakistan Pitiful as I have yet not seen any video clip or any news package showing them skiing and winning medals.. Am I right or wrong? If any one has a link to any video please share..
Girl Power!
Wish u best of luck ski sisters, we are really proud of u and expect an other gold and silver medals in winter Olympics
@Umer: Who's Mullah Hakeemullah and what sazish? What have you been drinking?
I want to congratulate these ladies really I' really feel proud to them. ALLAH bless them. Dears please carry on and keep it up. You are the strength for all Pakistani womens and especially for gilgit community.
Thumbs up!
Must be a foreign conspiracy letting these girls win Silver and Gold in South Asian Winter Games. I smell a sazish in all this. Did anyone check with Mullah Hakeemullah if these girls are permitted to do all this?
Best of Luck! Girls. Want to see you in the Olympics.
Now this type of news needs HEADLINE COVERAGE in our local media.........but sadly it will be the Western world who will do the job for us..........just like the case of Malala.
Sochi is in Russia, not Japan
Sochi is in Russia not Japan ... Get your geography correct..
they are the true representatives of Pakistan not malala
ET, "Sochi" may sound Japanese to you, but it's actually quite far away from Japan. Please check your facts.
The Leaders. best wishes