Leh, Jan 04: The first Royal Enfield Ice Hockey League being held by Royal Enfield in collaboration with UT Ladakh and Ice Hockey Association of Ladakh, which commenced the other day at NDS Stadium in Leh.
The inauguration was graced by Secretary, Youth Services and Sports, Ladakh, Ravinder Kumar as the chief guest for the opening match on January 3, is the first major ice hockey tournament of the New Year. The league will go on till January 13.
The teams that will take part in the first-ever Royal Enfield Ice Hockey League include United Nubra, Sham Eagles, Sham Wolves, Shakar Chiktan Royals, Shakar Chiktan Queens, Humas Queens, Changla Lamo, Maryul Spamo Leh, Changthang Shans, Changla Blaster, Humas warriors, Zangskar Chaddar Tamers, Purig warriors, Maryul Spawo, Kangs Sings Leh.
With the league’s commencement, Ladakh is poised to become a hub for ice hockey in India, nurturing a generation of athletes who may one day grace the international stage at the Winter Olympics.
Royal Enfield is currently working with all stakeholders to grow winter sports, particularly Ice Hockey across the Himalayas. In Ladakh, Royal Enfield has already supported the development of the sport by providing equipment and training with a ‘train the trainer’ program where 20 coaches were trained by coaches brought in from Germany.
Robust training and selection camps have been established across five of Ladakh’s seven zones – including Changthang, Leh, Sham, Drass, and Shakar Chiktan. From these camps, participants for the League were chosen by a committee featuring representatives from the Department of Youth Services & Sports, Ice Hockey Association for Ladakh, Ladakh Women Ice Hockey Foundation, local authorities, and native coaches.
Earlier in the organising process, taining and selection camps were set up across five of the seven zones of Ladakh, Changthang, Leh (which also includes camps for Nubra and Zanskar), Sham, Drass, and Shakar Chiktan. Players and teams are currently participating in the League who were selected from these zonal camps by a committee comprising members from the Department of Youth Services & Sports (DYSS), Ice Hockey Association for Ladakh (IHAL), Ladakh Women Ice Hockey Foundation (LWIHF), zonal heads and local Ladakhi coaches.
The popularity of winter tourism and activities such as ice hockey has attracted tourists across the world over the last few years. With the freezing of rivers and the plummeting of mercury below sub-zero temperatures, ice hockey tournaments have commenced again in Ladakh.
