An Uphill Climb featuring India's Ski Champion Arif Khan

He has represented India in 105 international events over the past 16 years. He has 13 medals at the national level, and two golds at the international stage. With these credentials, ideally, most of us would have been able to recollect who this person might be but we don't because- what happens in Kashmir, stays in Kashmir!The person in consideration is Arif Khan- professional Alpine skier from India, now looking forward to representing India at the Beijing Winter Olympics scheduled for February 2022.A 26-year-old boy from Gulmarg, Kashmir; Arif has been skiing since the age of 4. He initially pursued it as a seasonal sport played in the hometown and eventually took it up professionally. Khan races in two categories: the slalom and the giant slalom. Both involve skiing downhill, crisscrossing through pole gates at speeds nearing 90km/hr.Just like every other sport, this one too requires funding. It involves the cost of his kit, the coach, dietitian, gym facilities, travel, registrations, etc. Arif's father runs a ski kit shop and a small homestay business that was initially supporting his conquest but owing to Kashmir's turmoil, the changes in laws and administration, and the lockdown, his business suffered and it has been a roadblock ever since. A few friends and supporters did pitch in back in 2018 when he tried to run for the Olympics but fell short at the last moment, he is trying his best again now. And we can certainly help him achieve this dream.Vasundhara and Zulfiqar Khan- friends and supporters of Arif in his journey to the Beijing Winter Olympics (February 2022) have started a crowd-funding campaign at:https://gogetfunding.com/mission-olympics-2022-arif-khan-indias-alpine-skier/?show_desktop=1You can help by donating and/or spreading the word.You can follow Arif on Instagram @arifkhanskierhttps://www.instagram.com/arifkhanskier/?hl=enTwitter: @KashmirAlpinehttps://twitter.com/kashmiralpine?lang=enFacebook: @ak2018Arif KhanYou can follow Gauri on Instagram: @gauridevidayalhttps://instagram.com/gauridevidayalTwitter: @gauridetailswww.twitter.com/@gauridetails/You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.