Since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, Jammu and Kashmir has experienced consistent growth in sports infrastructure, athlete participation, and opportunities for young sportspeople.
Across the Union Territory, enhanced access to training facilities, coaching programmes, and competitive platforms has encouraged many young individuals, especially girls, to pursue sports both as a passion and a possible career path.
Taekwondo, in particular, has seen rising popularity, with academies throughout Kashmir attracting increasing numbers of students interested in self-defence training and competitive success.
At Srinagar’s Al-Jawad Sports Academy, numerous young girls are receiving professional Taekwondo training with aspirations to represent Jammu and Kashmir and India in national and international competitions.
Sehar, a Taekwondo athlete training at the academy, said: “I am learning Taekwondo at Al-Jawad Sports Academy. It is a very good platform for girls, and I want to make my career in this. Here we learn self-defence, poomsae, basic kicking and punching.”
She added, “Taekwondo is my passion, and I want to compete at the national and international level. I have been practising for the last 10 years and want to continue. If we work hard, there is definitely a future in this sport. Every girl should join because it is a great platform for self-defence and security.”
Another athlete, Sadaf Rehman, explained how Taekwondo is helping young women build physical strength and confidence.
She said: “I have been playing Taekwondo for a long time. Many girls are still unaware of this sport, and I want them to come forward and participate. Considering today’s environment, it is important that girls learn self-defence. We receive training in strength conditioning, poomsae, punching, blocking and fight sparring.”
Sadaf added, “Our coach supports us at every step and provides us with opportunities to move ahead. There are many career opportunities in this sport, including coaching and competing internationally. We are already preparing for coach training, and we work very hard every day.”
Bilal Ahmed, another athlete at the academy, said particular focus is placed on training girls in self-defence while also preparing talented sportspeople for higher levels of competition.
He said: “We mainly focus on training girls because self-defence is extremely important in today’s society. With proper training, girls can also reach the international level. Our coach, Sujath Shah, works very hard to prepare students, and his dream is to see girls from Kashmir compete at the national and international level.”
The development of the sporting environment in Jammu and Kashmir is further demonstrated by the success of athletes in combat sports.
MMA fighter Owais Yaqoob recently achieved the most significant victory of his professional career by defeating Bulgarian fighter Delyan Georgiev via first-round technical knockout (TKO) at BRAVE CF 107 in Burgas, Bulgaria, on August 1.
Following the win, Yaqoob said representing India internationally was a source of great pride.
He wrote on social media: “Walking into enemy land with the Indian flag on your back. The crowd may not cheer for you. The arena may not be yours. But when you carry your country’s flag, fear is no longer an option. Every step is for the people who believe in me. Every round is a tribute to the sacrifices made behind the scenes. Every second inside that cage is for India.”
With increased participation, improved coaching infrastructure and greater competitive exposure, Jammu and Kashmir is emerging as a promising hub for combat sports, enabling young athletes to compete nationally and internationally while promoting fitness, discipline and self-confidence.