ASIAN ICE HOCKEY

Ice hockey in India has surprisingly deep roots, going back nearly a century. Much like cricket and football, the sport was a British import – introduced in the 1930s in Shimla, a hill town in Himachal Pradesh. In fact, the city’s very first rink was built by a hotel owner named Mr. Blessington as early as 1920. (1)

Boots, Blades, and Battalions: Hockey’s Journey to Ladakh

From the hills of Shimla, hockey made its way north to Ladakh in the 1960s, thanks in large part to the Indian military. Stationed near the tense borders with Pakistan and China, soldiers – and the local youth they inspired – began playing on frozen lakes, using makeshift sticks and improvised skates crafted by attaching blades to army boots. (2)

Diskit Chonzom Angmo – national team player, spokesperson for India’s women’s squad, and a passionate voice for Ladakhi hockey on social media – adds more context:

Where Hockey Took Root: Ladakh’s Love Affair With the Ice

While ice hockey has gradually spread to other Himalayan regions of northern India, it’s in Union Territory of Ladakh (3) that the sport truly found a home – becoming the most popular sport in the region, as journalist Rewati Karan highlighted in Financial Express: (4)

A Land Between Peaks: Welcome to Little Tibet

Ladakh – often dubbed “Little Tibet” for its deep cultural and geographic connection to its eastern neighbor – is a high-altitude region tucked between the towering ranges of the Himalayas and the Karakoram. Its name stems from the Ladakhi words “la-dak”, meaning “land of mountain passes.” (5)

Blades on the Roof of the World: Hockey as a Mirror of Ladakhi Resilience

Few places on Earth are as unforgiving – and yet as soul-stirring – as Ladakh. Perched high among jagged peaks and barren plateaus, this remote region tests the strength and spirit of its people every single day. It’s no wonder, then, that ice hockey has become more than just a game here. It’s a reflection of life itself: demanding, physical, unpredictable – and deeply communal. In the roar of skates on rough ice, in the frozen breath hanging in the air, in the scraped-up gear worn like second skin – you’ll find echoes of Ladakhi grit, courage, and vitality.

And yet, for all its cultural resonance, Ladakh’s hockey scene has long remained on the fringes – raw and passionate, but starved of the support needed to truly flourish. Geographic isolation, lack of proper infrastructure, poor-quality equipment, absence of expert coaching, and virtually no exposure to international competition have kept the region’s immense potential bottled up.

In recent years, however, cracks of sunlight have begun to pierce the ice. New investments, both private and public, have started to trickle in. Ambitious development plans are taking shape, signaling a potential turning point not just for Ladakh, but for Indian ice hockey as a whole.

Still, progress has been hampered by internal power struggles – particularly the long-running dispute between rival governing bodies vying for control of the sport. These tensions continue to stall growth and sow uncertainty where unity is needed most.

A Timeline of Indian Ice Hockey: From Frozen Lakes to Historic Bronze

But before we dive into the evolving present – and a future that might just shine brighter than ever – let’s rewind and revisit the key milestones that brought ice hockey in India to where it stands today:

• 1930s – British colonial authorities introduce ice hockey to the public in Shimla.
• 1960s – Indian military units stationed in Ladakh near the border popularized hockey among the local population.
• 1986 – The first-ever National Championship takes place, with Jammu and Kashmir emerging as the inaugural champions. (6)
• 1989 – The Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI) officially joins the IIHF.
• 1995 to the late 1990s – Several key clubs emerge from the strong Ladakhi hockey scene, including the still-active Ladakh Winter Sports Club (LWSC). Regular winter tournaments begin to take place.
• 1996 to 2008 – The National Winter Games of India (NWGI) are held, with ice hockey as part of the program.
• 2000 to the mid-2000s – First contact with Canadian hockey; friendly tournaments are launched.
• 2002 – Ladakh sees the creation of its first women’s ice hockey team.
• 2009 – India’s men’s national team debuts internationally at the IIHF Challenge Cup in Abu Dhabi, finishing 8th.
• 2010 – Himadri Ice Rink opens in Dehradun, India’s first international-size indoor rink with a 2,500-seat capacity.
• 2012 – India hosts its first IIHF event, the Challenge Cup of Asia in Dehradun. The home team earns a historic 5–1 win over Macau. The final between UAE and Thailand (3–0) draws 1,113 spectators.
• 2012 – The Dehradun rink closes due to “high operational costs.” (7)
• 2016 – India’s women’s team makes its debut at the IIHF Women’s Challenge Cup of Asia.
• 2017 – The men’s team earns its first major result, finishing second behind Kuwait but ahead of Oman and Macau at the IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia – Division 1.
• 2018 – India sets a Guinness World Record by hosting the highest-altitude ice hockey game ever — on a mountain lake in Ladakh at 4,361 meters. (8)
• 2019 – India withdraws from the IIHF Challenge Cup due to financial constraints, initiating a five-year absence from the international stage. IHAI Secretary General Harjinder Singh Jindi: “We didn’t play after 2018 because of financial constraints. Most of the teams, which were playing Challenge Cup of Asia, qualified because they could meet the minimum playing standards – they had an international standard indoor rink… We also lost three to four years because of the Covid pandemic.” (9)
• 2019 – Construction begins on the Nawang Dorjay Stobdan (NDS) stadium in Leh, Ladakh.
• 2020 – The first Khelo India Winter Games are held, including ice hockey as a regular event, in the Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir. (10)
• 2023 (September) – Former MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal establishes the rival Ice Hockey Federation of India (IHFI), challenging the authority of IHAI. Many within the Ladakhi hockey community shift their support to IHFI, feeling underrepresented by the national body. (11, 12)
• 2023 (December) – A landmark moment for Indian hockey: Royal Enfield, the iconic Indian motorcycle manufacturer, in partnership with Ladakh’s UT administration, launches the ambitious “Blueprint for Ice Hockey Development in Ladakh” — a long-term project with a bold target: Olympic participation in 2042. India’s then Minister of Sports, Anurag Singh Thakur, attends the launch. (13)
• 2024 (January) – The inaugural Royal Enfield Ice Hockey League takes place, featuring both men’s and women’s teams from Ladakh.
• 2024 (February) – The under-construction NDS stadium hosts its first major event during the Khelo India Winter Games. Full completion is expected by the end of 2025, with another rink under construction in Kargil. (14, 15)
• 2025 (January) – The second edition of the RE Ice Hockey League features 10 men’s and 10 women’s teams. In the men’s division, Kang Sings successfully defended their title, while in the women’s bracket, Maryul Spamo celebrated a well-earned championship victory.
• 2025 (January) – The Khelo India Winter Games tournament at the NDS stadium in Leh draws huge local crowds, creating a spectacular atmosphere.
• 2025 (February) – India’s men’s national team prepares for its first-ever participation in the Asian Winter Games. Political infighting puts their involvement at risk.
• 2025 (February) – India competes at the 2025 Asian Winter Games in Harbin, finishing 12th out of 14 after a win over Macau and losses to Turkmenistan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. India’s performance goes viral, with fans from across the hockey world expressing support online — even after heavy defeats in the first two games.
• 2025 (May) – After 13 years, the Dehradun indoor rink reopens, fulfilling a critical requirement for India’s return to international competition.
• 2025 (June) – India’s Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) unexpectedly grants National Sports Promotion Organisation (NSPO) status to IHFI — a designation previously exclusive to IHAI — escalating the power struggle.
• 2025 (June) – India’s women’s team trains on the newly reopened Dehradun rink and goes on to win a historic bronze medal at the IIHF Women’s Asia Cup in Al Ain, UAE. The achievement is widely celebrated in Indian media and garners over 50,000 likes on social media — a rare feat even during top-level World Championships.
• 2025 (July) – For the first time in history, a non-Himalayan team reaches the final of the IHAI National Championship. Haryana finishes second to the Army team, signaling hockey’s expansion beyond its traditional strongholds. (16)
• 2025 (August) – Team India (Heritage) takes part in the Amerigol Latam Cup for the first time. The participation, fully organized and funded through Apna Hockey, marks a symbolic expansion of India’s presence on the international stage.
• 2027 – India is expected to make its first attempt to qualify for the IIHF World Championship Division 4.

 

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Sources, Quotes and Notes:

1. timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/others/india-womens-ice-hockey-they-fought-ice-with-fire-and-made-history/articleshow/122023224.cms
2. instagram.com/p/DNAxN_jhh5z/
3. The 8 Union Territories, together with 28 states, make up India’s administrative division. Unlike the states, however, Union Territories do not have autonomous governments and are administered directly by the central government.
4. financialexpress.com/sports/breaking-the-ice-the-frozen-potential-of-ice-hockey/3750439/
5. Ladakh, covering an area of 59,146 km² and home to 274,289 people, constitutes the eastern portion of the disputed Kashmir region along the India–Pakistan–China border. The dominant local languages are Ladakhi and Purgi, both part of the Sino-Tibetan language family, and the population is primarily Muslim and Buddhist, with a smaller Hindu minority.
6. instagram.com/p/DNAxN_jhh5z/
7. financialexpress.com/sports/breaking-the-ice-the-frozen-potential-of-ice-hockey/3750439/
8. hockeyfoundation.org/hockey-went-higher
9. financialexpress.com/sports/breaking-the-ice-the-frozen-potential-of-ice-hockey/3750439/
10. Khelo India: National Programme for Development of Sports, abbreviated as Khelo India, is a government initiative launched in 2017 to promote sports development across the country.
11. facebook.com/photo/?fbid=3399737470276495&set=a.1497333430516918
12. telecomasia.net/in/blog/exclusive-cold-conflict-governance-feud-overshadows-india-s-ice-hockey-breakthrough/
13. newindian.in/royal-enfield-lahdc-unveil-blueprint-for-ice-hockey-development-in-ladakh/
14. outlookindia.com/sports/khelo-india-winter-games-2024-nds-ice-hockey-rink-ladakhs-pride-seeks-more-glory-after-historic-debut
15. olympics.com/en/news/khelo-india-winter-games-2025-nawang-dorjay-nds-stadium-kiwg-venue
16. timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/others/india-womens-ice-hockey-they-fought-ice-with-fire-and-made-history/articleshow/122023224.cms