In Ladakh, ice hockey, played on frozen ponds, has become a sport of choice; it is scheduled to get India’s first Olympic-size all-weather rink ready by 2024. One of the prime reasons for this is India’s ambition of fielding an ice hockey contingent at the 2042 Winter Olympics. To this end, Royal Enfield, under its CSR initiative, unveiled a strategic blueprint for the development of the game in Ladakh in Delhi on December 7.
Titled ‘Game Changer’, this blueprint will serve as a roadmap for the holistic development of the sport in Ladakh and also aim to make the Union Territory the nucleus for ice hockey in India. This document covers scouting and the nurturing of local talents through a structured and digitalised play-and-club registration system, followed by a strong partnership with key stakeholders at the village, sub-divisional and district levels. It highlights the need for specialised equipment and infrastructure such as a permanent indoor ice rink. The blueprint also emphasises the importance of conducting training camps with the involvement of international coaches and professional governance, among other things.
The plan is to create a healthy and competitive ecosystem for ice hockey in Ladakh; this could be a model for developing ice hockey in other Himalayan states such as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
Noor Jahan, a goalkeeper with India’s women’s ice hockey team, says efforts have been made in the past to promote the sport in Ladakh at various levels but they didn’t yield much; with the blueprint, things will change. “There are a lot of local clubs, organisations and coaches in Ladakh. This blueprint will bring everyone together to work towards a common goal. It will lead to more development in terms of infrastructure and the availability of equipment,” she said.
Commissioned by the Administration of the Union Territory of Ladakh, Royal Enfield collaborated with the European Business and Technical Centre and other stakeholders to develop this blueprint. It was further reviewed by the International Ice Hockey Federation.
At the launch event, the blueprint was handed over to Anurag Singh Thakur, Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Youth affairs and Sports, Tashi Gyaltsan, chief executive councillor, Leh, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Mohammed Jaffer Akhoon, chief executive councillor, Kargil, LAHDC, Ladakh MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, Ravinder Kumar, secretary to the lieutenant governor of Ladakh and the department of youth and sports, Ladakh.
“Today’s development is very exciting for our nation. The blueprint is a game changer and will certainly pave the way to enable an Indian ice hockey contingent to participate in the 2042 Winter Olympics. It will help build a strong framework for the growth of the sport in the Himalayan region,” said the Union minister, who has also written its foreword.