Tashkent, Uzbekistan, August 2, 2023: In India, ice hockey players get only two months of the year to practice and compete in the sport. With global warming taking a toll, the rest of the year is lost much to the frustration of the Ice Hockey Association of India.
“We play in a natural environment, on frozen ponds, lakes and collected bodies of water. Unfortunately because of climate change, this period is restricted to only two months. Yet, despite these challenges, we as a nation have done well in the sport,” points out Harjinder Singh, General Secretary of the Ice Hockey Association of India.
Harjinder is one of three Indian officials – others being a female coach and a male game official – who are part of the OCA/IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) Under-16 Asian Ice Hockey Youth Camp underway in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
“I’m really pleased this opportunity has come up as it gives more exposure to winter sports in Asian countries. I laud the OCA and the IIHF for making this happen,” Harjinder said.
India had an indoor facility in Dehradun, the capital of the Indian state of Uttarakhand, near the Himalayan foothills. But that ice rink was closed soon after the first IIHF sanctioned tournament in India was held - the 2012 IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia.
“The Indian government has no money to maintain the ice rink in Dehradun. It is a pity as we have nearly 3,500 registered ice hockey players and a larger community of inline hockey players,” noted Harjinder.
Ice hockey is centred in the Himalayan States of India – Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh – and is widely popular.
“India has a population of 1.4 billion people and is growing. Everyone wants to play something and in the Himalayan states, it is ice hockey. Unfortunately, it can only be played for two months a year, unless we get more indoor facilities,” says Harjinder.
He eyes cricket, a religion in India, as the golden standard. This year’s lucrative Indian Premier League had a brand value of a mammoth US$3.2 billion. Harjinder has dreams of ice hockey one day rivalling cricket for the affections of his countrymen.
“Ice hockey was started around the 1940s by the British in Simla, the summer capital of the British Raj. They also brought cricket to India. See where cricket is today, India rules the world. I hope one day ice hockey will also reach that level. But for now we are still trying to find our feet,” says Harjinder.
There is a long way to go. Harjinder was the Chef de Mission for the last two Winter Olympic Games, PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022, with India represented in cross-country freestyle skiing and luge (2018), and alpine skiing (2022). India has never won a Winter Olympic medal in 11 appearances.
“But we have had encouraging results in ice hockey in recent years. In May this year our girls reached the semi-finals at the Asia/Oceania Championships in Bangkok. And in 2017, our men won the silver medal in the IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia – Division One tournament.
“The talent is there in India. I only wish we had more time to train and prepare. Two months a year is not enough,” smiled Harjinder. “In this context, having this camp is fantastic, and I hope the OCA will continue to support winter sports.”