J&K Youth Services & Sports marks 2025 as year of sporting milestones

Jammu, Dec 31: As the final hours of 2025 draw to a close, the Directorate of Youth Services and Sports, J&K, reflects upon a year that has been nothing short of transformative a year where vision met vigor, and potential was sculpted into podium finishes and powerful stories. The Directorate proudly unveils 2025 as a year of monumental achievements, each milestone a validation to a relentless commitment to nurturing the body, mind, and spirit of the Union Territory’s youth.

As per a statement issued on Wednesday, the scale of engagement has been historic. Across 35 sports disciplines, the Department mobilized an unprecedented wave of participation, with approximately 21 lakh young athletes engaging in structured sports activities and an additional 16 lakh in diverse youth engagement initiatives. This vast outreach formed the vibrant bedrock upon which individual excellence was built, creating a culture where sports is not merely an activity, but a way of life.

On the national stage, J&K’s young ambassadors carried the torch with exceptional distinction. In the ongoing 69th National School Games, 1128 athletes competed with grit in 108 national-level events, a journey of relentless pursuit. The Union Territory’s role as a proud host for events in Football, Taekwondo, Wushu, and Table Tennis across Jammu and Srinagar was matched by its athletes’ spectacular performances. J&K’s glittering collection of 30 medals (9 Gold, 8 Silver, and 13 Bronze) won at the 69th National School Games across the country, with the promise of more glory on the horizon.

The year 2025 will be forever remembered for scripting stories that transcended sport. It saw Nasir Ejaz Sufi, a volleyball prodigy from Baramulla, rise from the training grounds nurtured by YSS coaches Azhar Raina and Naresh Kumar to secure a historic Bronze Medal for India at the ISF World School Championship in China. His triumph is a crowning jewel in the Directorate’s legacy, a validation of its foundational training system.

Equally indelible is the narrative of courage embodied by Khushboo Jan of Ganderbal. An athlete of immense fortitude, her solo 400-meter run at the UT-Level Athletic Meet became a powerful symbol of inclusion and perseverance, challenging norms and inspiring a generation, proudly acknowledged and honored by the Directorate.

Embracing the digital era, the Directorate, under the leadership of Director General Anuradha Gupta, launched the inspirational podcast “Khel Khel Mein.” This platform, featuring champions like Wushu’s Jiya Manhas, amplifies local stories and expert mentorship, directly furthering the “Sports for All, Fitness for All” mission. Complementing this was the creative revolution of “Dastaan-e-Mic,” an Open Mic initiative at Jammu’s Bahu Plaza that gave voice to the J&K’s artistic youth, a program now enshrined in the Department’s annual calendar.

The year also witnessed the release of the departmental compendium, “Beyond the Finish Line,” unveiled by the Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor, Shri Manoj Sinha a compendium that chronicles not just results, but the very spirit of the journey.

As the curtain falls on 2025, the Directorate of Youth Services and Sports, J&K, carries forward a kitty brimming with achievements medals won, barriers broken, platforms built, and spirits ignited. We step into 2026 fortified by this year’s successes, ready to script even greater chapters in the saga of Jammu & Kashmir’s youth.