Indian Army Organises Ice Hockey Tournament In Ladakh’s Drass At Minus 22 Degrees Celcius

An ice hockey tournament was organised by the Indian Army in collaboration with civil administration and Himalayan Sports and Cultural Development Organisation at minus 22 degrees Celcius at Drass town in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, which is the second coldest habitat in the world.

According to army officials, “The event was conducted from January 28 to February 4 in which eight teams from Drass participated”.

The tournament is organised by the Indian Army annually and has witnessed increasing enthusiasm amongst the locals over the years.

On the final match of this tournament today, Brigadier Naveed Kumar Goel said that the army will take every possible measure to help the players reach the national and international levels.

He assured the players and locals that all efforts will be made by the Indian Army to further popularise ice hockey in western Ladakh region and appreciated the enthusiasm of participating teams in showcasing sportsmanship.

Eminent ice hockey player Mohammad Amin said, “That women in national ice hockey female team are all from Ladakh region and almost 80 per cent men in national team are from this region, what is lacking is the support of government and the sports ministry. If they will support us financially and logistically, Drass can achieve new heights in ice hockey and make our country proud. Presently, only Indian Army is helping us organise these events and provide us with logistical support.”

He added, “In other states and countries they have artificial ice rinks but we have natural ice rinks maintained by locals. Natural ice rinks are thicker and sturdier than artificials rinks.”

Source:IT

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