SRINAGAR: Kashmiri female water sports coach and Kayaking player from Kashmir, Bilquis Mir has become the first Indian woman athlete to be appointed as one of the jury members for the upcoming 19th Asian Games to be held in Hangzhou, China, starting on September 23, 2023.
The jury panel, which comprises members from Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Korea, and other countries, will have Bilquis representing India.
Bilquis, who lives in Khanyar Srinagar is the first Olympic-level women’s kayaking and canoeing player from the Kashmir and now the only Indian woman to have been appointed as a jury member at the 19th Asian Games.
She is also the Director of Water Sports, Jammu and Kashmir, and will be judging hundreds of athletes participating in this sport.
“This is the first time that any Indian woman athlete will be judging Canoeing sport at such an international event and I am overwhelmed with this achievement. I will be flying to China on September 24 to judge the athletes from across the world and represent my country,” Bilquis said.
