Bamiyan hosted the Winter Games for the second year in a row as athletes competed in two different sports in the first day of the event on Thursday.

At least 200 athletes from Kabul, Bamiyan, Parwan, Maidan Wardak and Ghazni provinces are competing in skiing, biathlon, ice skating, curling and snowboarding.

Munawar Shah, an organizer of the event, said the Bamiyan Winter Games is held to improve sports in the country. He said that “no facility was provided to them” and that “all athletes are on their own in terms of financial expenses for the event”.

The first day included competitions in curling and biathlon.

Athletes who have attended the event said they should be provided with more facilities by government to improve their relevant sports. “The facilities are good but are not up to standard,” said Arzo Naderi, an athlete.