Ice hockey in India
Ice hockey players at the inauguration of the Khelo India Winter Games in 2020
CountryIndia
Governing bodyIce Hockey Association of India
National team(s)Men
Women
First played1989[1]
National competitions

Ice hockey is a sport that is gaining popularity in India.[2][3] Ice hockey is played mostly in places like Ladakh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir in the north of India, where cold weather occurs and the game can be played outdoors.[4] 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 elevated rinks in the world. There are a few artificial indoor ice skating rinks in the rest of the country, such as the Doon Ice Rink in Dehradun,[5] which can accommodate ice hockey with an international-sized rink.

Ice Hockey was part of the 2020 Khelo India Winter Games in Gulmarg.[6]

Ladakh is host to the world's highest altitude ice hockey tournament.[7]

About

Ice Hockey in India is monitored by the Indian Ice Hockey Association. The India national ice hockey team has been competing at the international level since 2009[8] with head coach Adam Sherlip behind the bench during the tournament in Abu Dhabi. Adam also coached in Ladakh through The Hockey Foundation.[9] India won the 2nd position in IIHF men Challenge Cup of Asia Div 1 at Kuwait and Women's team secured the 3th position at Abu Dhabi.[10]

Clubs

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.[11] The present clubs affiliated to the IHAI are:[12][13]

In popular culture

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 Association of India to encourage greater participation and awareness in the sport.[15][16][17][18][19]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Ice Hockey in 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.
  5. ^ "First ice arena for India". www.iihf.com. Archived from the original on 17 December 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Ice Hockey, Ice Skating held during Khelo India Winter Games". Greater Kashmir. 14 March 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  7. ^ "Ladakh hosts World's highest altitude women's ice hockey tournament". The Bridge. 24 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  8. ^ Tiwari, Mansi. "All eyes on Ice Hockey Team". The Economic Times. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  9. ^ "#HowHockeyHelps". Hockeyfoundation.org. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  10. ^ "Home". icehockeyindia.com.
  11. ^ "Ice Hockey in India". Forums.internationalhockey.net. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  12. ^ "Members & Associates - Ice Hockey Association of India". Icehockeyindia.com. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  13. ^ "Teams". Icehockeyindia.com. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  14. ^ "Why Leh has warmed up to ice-hockey - Times of India". The Times of India.
  15. ^ "India ice hockey: National team crowd-funding bid successful". BBC News. 17 April 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  16. ^ "Director Ice Hockey Association of India Akshay Kumar | DNA". Dnaindia.com. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  17. ^ "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.
  18. ^ "Akshay Kumar donates Rs 2cr for ice hockey | Bollywood.com News". Bollywood.com. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  19. ^ "Schwartz: Ex-Islanders Employee Helps Grow Hockey In India". Newyork.cbslocal.com. 28 January 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2016.

External links

Ice hockey in the world
Sport in India
Category