The Indian women's ice hockey team will participate in the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey Women's Asia and Oceania Championship in Thailand, which will be held from 30 April to 7 May.
Tsewang Chuskit will captain the India squad with Dr Noor Jahan, a conservationist by training, in charge of the goal. The team is scheduled to depart for Thailand on April 11 but before that players will have their training.
The training of the 20-member Indian Ice Hockey squad, including five debutants, which will be coached by Canadian Darrin Harrold with Tsewang Gyaltson and Amit Belwal assisting him, is being supported by Royal Enfield.
The support from the world's oldest motorcycle company comes after it has announced a partnership with the Indian women's Ice Hockey team in order to strengthen their Olympic ambitions. It is an extension of the relationship of Royal Enfield with UT Ladakh in order to develop winter sports in the region.
To celebrate this partnership, the motorcycle company along with the Ice Hockey Association of India unveiled the new jersey for Team India in the national capital and it was was followed by a panel discussion among the 20 players of the Indian national team, hailing from Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh, on the growth of Ice Hockey across the Himalayas, the development of winter sports and winter tourism.
18 women from Ladakh and two from Himachal Pradesh will be representing India.
(Photo: IANS)
"It's truly a proud moment for all of us at the Ice Hockey Association of India as our girls prepare to compete at yet another major global championship. Our goal is to ensure that more people across the country see ice hockey as the serious competitive sport it is and not just a winter recreational game. India has huge potential when it comes to winter sports, and we're glad that Royal Enfield has agreed to be a partner in our efforts to grow this sport and enable our players to compete with the best," Harjinder Singh Jindi, General Secretary, Ice Hockey Association of India was quoted as saying in a media release.
Notably, the 18 women from the Union Territory of Ladakh and two from the state of Himachal Pradesh are at the spearhead of a sport that has grown in popularity over the past decade in these mountainous regions.
Owing to the natural formation of ice through the winter months, the sport of Ice Hockey has steadily gained popularity and is passionately played, not only as winter entertainment but also as a serious sport.
18 Countries To Take Part in Mega Event
In 2023, 18 Asian countries will be represented in the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship programme at different levels. These include Kazakhstan, Korea, Japan, China, the United Arab Emirates, DPR Korea, Turkmenistan, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, Hong Kong (China), Kyrgyzstan, Iran, Singapore, Malaysia, Kuwait, the Philippines, Mongolia and Indonesia.
The IIHF Asia and Oceania Championship (formerly IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia) gives Asian and Oceania members that are not yet part of the World Championship Program the chance to compete and gain valuable game experience. It is also an important platform leading to the Asian Winter Games.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)