Jagdish Singh (born July 1, 1991) in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand is an Olympian who represented India at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. He competed in the men’s 15 km freestyle cross-country skiing. He qualified for the Olympics for the first time. Jagdish made his international skiing debut at the 2013 World Championships in Italy and also made an appearance at the 2017 Winter Asian Games.
However, the journey from Chamoli to Pyeongchang was not an easy one for Jagdish. He was embroiled in a controversy many a time, which almost jeopardized his debut at the 2018 Winter Olympics, Indian Army, and Winter Games Federation of India. There was ambiguity over who would go to South Korea with Jagdish as his coach after the WGFI designated different coaches for the athlete.
However, the WGFI names were rejected by the Indian Olympic Association due to the fact that the IOA does not recognize the WGFI as a valid body. The Army recommendation was not approved by the IOA due to delays in mail correspondence. Jagdish was burdened with indecision that was not of his own making, and his participation in the Pyeongchang Games was in doubt.
On February 16, the 26-year-old Jagdish Singh represented India in cross-country skiing, becoming only the fourth Indian in history to do so. Jagdish, who has been training at the High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) in Gulmarg since 2011, made the first Bar skiing experience.
He told how joining the Army changed his life. It was only after he joined the Army that he got a chance to experience skiing and at that time, he had never thought that those blades would give him a chance to represent the country in the high sports field. Jagdish Singh Olympics journey has motivated many in Uttarakhand so far.