Leh, Ladakh: Sunday marked a historic moment for ardent ice hockey fans in India as the Indian men’s ice hockey team secured its first-ever victory at the Asian Winter Games, defeating Macau, China 4-2 in Harbin, China. The tournament began on a challenging note for India, with heavy defeats against Hong Kong, China (0-30) and Turkmenistan (1-19), but the team bounced back to claim this milestone win.
This is India’s first win since 2018 in an International Ice Hockey Federation tournament and this is also India’s maiden participation in the Asian Winter Games. The team improved its performance in its second match against Turkmenistan by scoring its first goal which was secured by Stanzin Angchok. This was topped by its next win against Macau in the final group match which was secured by goal scorers Mohammed Ali Baba, Mohd Ismail, Tsering Angchuk and Tsering Angdus.
Sonam Angmo, a member of the Indian women’s ice hockey team, shared her joy over the men’s team’s victory at the Asian Winter Games. She said, “It is truly remarkable and a proud moment to see the boys shine on an international stage after such a long gap. Their thrilling win against Macau was the result of their hard work, and it’s wonderful to see their efforts paying off.”
Tundup Namgyal, former captain of the Indian men's ice hockey team, shared his thoughts on the historic win, saying, “Winning on such a big platform is a moment of immense pride for the team, for India, and especially for Ladakh. This is the first time India has secured a victory at the Asian Winter Games, and it serves as a great inspiration for all the young kids currently pursuing ice hockey as a sport.”
India displayed an aggressive game, registering 42 shots on goal compared to Macau’s 23. Despite having only a handful of days to prepare, the team exhibited remarkable resilience to secure this victory. Their journey to the Asian Winter Games was fraught with challenges. The Sports Ministry, through the Sports Authority of India (SAI), ordered fresh trials, even though the Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI), an affiliated body of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), had already submitted the team’s names to the organisers. This unexpected decision left the players in limbo, uncertain about their participation. However, despite last-minute interventions and objections from the ministry, the team proved its credibility with this historic win at the ninth edition of the Asian Winter Games.
This last-minute intervention also resulted in the lack of funds for the Indian men’s ice hockey team. In view of this Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh, Councillors Phuntsog Stanzin Tsepag, Smanla Dorje Nurboo and Konchok Stanzin conducted a press conference in which they questioned the refusal to provide funds by the Centre and the refusal to provide funds for 8 players by the UT government. The three of them argued that these players are representing India on the international level and in that sense, all of them should be provided full support.
Smanla Dorje Nurboo, Councillor LAHDC, Leh from the Saspol constituency shares that the players should not suffer as they are going to represent India. He says, “The contingent that has gone to Harbin, China to represent India is getting financial aid from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports except the ice hockey team which has been secluded from this aid due to unknown reasons. This is very alarming to see as they have been selected based on guidelines and rules and have been cleared by the Indian Olympic Association as well.”
He also highlights another important point, “When the UT government decided to aid the ice hockey players, they left out 8 players. For these 8 players only an amount of 28 lakhs is required but the administration chooses to instead splurge their funds on construction of official residences of prominent figures.”
Similarly, Konchok Stanzin, Councillor Chushul constituency asserted that the situation should not affect the players and they didn’t get the support they needed. He says, “In the 8 players that didn’t get the financial aid, 2 players are from my region. The lack of funds also made the team miss out on practice matches in China and this wouldn’t have happened if the funds were provided on time. I and the other councillors did the press conference because we wanted to speak from the players' side and irrespective of the politics we want to stand and support them.”
