Ice hockey in India

Ice hockey is a sport that is gaining popularity in India.[2][3] Ice hockey is played mostly in places like Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand in the north of India, where cold weather occurs and the game can be played outdoors.[4] There are a few artificial indoor ice skating rinks in the rest of the country, which has a warm tropical climate, including the Doon Ice Rink in Dehradun,[5] which can accommodate ice hockey with an international-sized rink. Ice hockey enthusiasts from other places in the country as well as expatriates from abroad head to places like Ladakh for the experience of playing in some of the highest rinks in the world. It is monitored by the Indian Ice Hockey Federation. India won the 2nd position in IIHF men Challenge Cup of Asia Div 1 at Kuwait and Women's team secured the 4th position at Thailand.[6]

Ice hockey in India
An ice-hockey match
CountryIndia
Governing bodyIce Hockey Association of India
National team(s)Men's national team
First played1989 [1]
National competitions

In 2011, an Indo-Canadian film, Speedy Singhs based on an Indian ice hockey team was produced by actor Akshay Kumar, who is a fan of the sport. He also made a contribution to the Ice Hockey Federation of India to encourage greater participation and awareness in the sport.[7][8][9][10][11]

The India national ice hockey team has been competing at the international level since 2009[12] with Head Coach Adam Sherlip behind the bench during the tournament in Abu Dhabi, UAE as well as the 2012 tournament hosted by India at the Doon Ice Rink. Adam also coaches ice hockey in Ladakh through The Hockey Foundation[13]

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.[14] The present clubs affiliated to the IHAI are:[15][16]

  • Ladakh Winter Sports Club
  • Ladakh Scouts
  • Chandigarh Winter Games Association
  • Haryana Skiing and Ice Hockey Association
  • Ice Hockey Association of Maharashtra, Mumbai
  • Ice Hockey Association of Jammu and Kashmir
  • Shimla Ice Skating Club
  • High Altitude Warfare School
  • Ex-Servicemen League
  • Kargil Ice and Snow Sports Club
  • Ice Hockey Association of Uttarakhand
  • Delhi Ice Hockey Association
  • Indo-Tibetan Border Police

Few more teams present in the Indian ice hockey are:- [17] Team India - CCOA 2015, Kuwait Indian Army J&K (Red) Ladakh Scouts Regiment J&K (Blue) Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Kargil Ice and Snow Sports Club Ex-Servicemen's League

The participation of school children in ice hockey in Ladakh increased after Sonam Wangchuk and his NGO, SECMOL, developed a technique to use school playgrounds as ice hockey rinks.[18]

See also

References
  1. https://www.nationalteamsoficehockey.com/india/
  2. Horstmann, Jakob (21 February 2013). "Playing ice hockey in the Indian Himalayas". The Guardian.
  3. "Breaking the ice: Story of India's ice hockey team is stuff movies are made of". Indianexpress.com. 19 April 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  4. "On Thin Ice: India's National Ice Hockey Team". Aljazeera.com. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  6. http://www.icehockeyindia.com/
  7. "India ice hockey: National team crowd-funding bid successful". BBC News. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  8. "Director Ice Hockey Association of India Akshay Kumar | DNA". Dnaindia.com. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  9. "Breaking the ice: Story of India's ice hockey team is stuff movies are made of". The Indian Express. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  10. "Akshay Kumar donates Rs 2cr for ice hockey | Bollywood.com News". Bollywood.com. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  11. "Schwartz: Ex-Islanders Employee Helps Grow Hockey In India". Newyork.cbslocal.com. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  12. "All eyes on Ice Hockey Team". The Economic Times. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  13. "#HowHockeyHelps". Hockeyfoundation.org. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  14. "Ice Hockey in India". Forums.internationalhockey.net. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  15. "Members & Associates - Ice Hockey Association of India". Icehockeyindia.com. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  16. "Teams". Icehockeyindia.com. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  17. http://www.icehockeyindia.com/teams.html
  18. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/Why-Leh-has-warmed-up-to-ice-hockey/articleshow/46249000.cms
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