The 6th edition of the Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG) 2026 was formally inaugurated on 20 January 2026 at the NDS Stadium Ice Hockey Rink in Leh, Ladakh, marking another significant milestone in Ladakh's emergence as a premier winter sports destination under the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports's Khelo India scheme. The Games were declared open by the Lieutenant Governor of Union Territory Ladakh, Shri Kavinder Gupta, at a colourful opening ceremony that featured traditional Ladakhi music and dance, and an exhibition ice hockey match between Army XI and UT Ladakh. The first (Ladakh) leg of the Games runs from 20 January to 26 January 2026 and focuses on ice sports — Ice Hockey, Speed Skating, Short Track Skating and Figure Skating — with the second (Gulmarg, Jammu & Kashmir) phase scheduled in February 2026 for snow sports including alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, snowboarding and ski mountaineering. Figure Skating, an Olympic sport where Indian athletes are showing international progress, is making its debut at these Winter Games. Competition venues at Leh include the NDS Ice Hockey Stadium, the Ladakh Scouts Regimental Centre rink at Phyang, and the Guphuk frozen pond for ice skating events. Athletes representing 21 States and Union Territories, including teams from Maharashtra, Chandigarh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, UT Ladakh, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and the Indian Army, are competing in ice hockey. Ladakh has hosted the Winter Games since 2020, and the 2026 edition reinforces the Khelo India scheme's mandate to broaden India's grassroots winter-sports talent pool, strengthen Olympic-sport disciplines, and support inclusive sports development in Himalayan border regions.