ICE HOCKEY IN INDIA

By Sri Krishna

Ice Hockey is fast becoming popular and specially in the higher reaches of the Himalayas being played mostly in Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir with severe cold weather enabling the game to be played outdoors. This encouraged Ice hockey enthusiasts from within the country and abroad, to visit places like Ladakh to experience playing in some of the highest elevated rinks in the world. Among a few artificial indoor ice-skating rinks are the Doon Ice Rink in Dehradun which can accommodate ice hockey with an international- sized rink. The game was also part of the 2020 Khelo India Winter Games in Gulmarg.

The game is run by the Indian Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). The India national ice hockey team has been competing at the international level since 2009 in Abu Dhabi, UAE as well as the 2012 tournament hosted by India at the Doon Ice Rink. India won the second position in IIHF men Challenge Cup of Asia Division One at Kuwait and Women’s team secured the third position at Abu Dhabi.

The facilities for this sport are in Gulmarg Ice Rink, Leh Ice Rink, Shimla Ice Rink and Doon Ice Rink in Dehradun. The country’s two oldest ice hockey clubs are the Shimla Ice Skating Club, which has existed since 1920 but began playing ice hockey much later, and the Ladakh Winter Sports Club, which was established in 1995. Currently, 13 clubs are affiliated to the IIHF.

The sport received a major boost as the country’s highest open air ice hockey rink, started amidst the stunning backdrop of the mighty Himalayas at an altitude of 3,720 metres higher than Leh in the picturesque but rugged Kaza, a cold desert town in Himachal Pradesh’s Spiti Valley. It has become a nursery for the players. In less than two years, Spiti Valley, comprising over two dozen small and scattered villages, has earned its name in ice hockey through the Women Ice Hockey National Championship.

The ice hockey rink of international standard of 60 metre by 30 metre has been developed by giving a natural coating of thick layers of ice. This season some 400- odd skaters belonging largely to the Spiti Valley, most of whom are in their 20s, have been registered for basic and advanced basic training camps, a rise in number from last year’s 223 participants, said organisers.

They are being trained by India Ice Hockey Association national coaches Amit Belwal and Noor Jahan, who was awarded Asia’s best goaltender in the 2016 IIHF Challenge Cup. Seeing the local potential, facility and congenial climatic conditions, the Ice Hockey Association of India is currently holding a national development camp for 80 players in the run-up to the national championship that will see the participation of teams from the Indo- Tibetan Border Police, Telangana, Leh and Himachal Pradesh, among others.

Source: Himalayan News Chronicle