Leh, Dec. 08: The Administration of the Union Territory of Ladakh and Royal Enfield announced the Royal Enfield Ice Hockey League in Ladakh, which will start with training camps across the seven zones across Ladakh in December and culminate with a final in Leh in January 2024.

The League seeks to identify and nurture local ice hockey talent from across Ladakh’s 7 zones. The league is in line with the roadmap laid out in The Game Changer – Blueprint for the Development of Ice Hockey in Ladakh, which was launched in Delhi by Anurag Singh Thakur, Hon’ble Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting and Youth Affairs & Sports, in the presence of Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, MP Ladakh, Mohd Jaffer Akhoon, Chief Executive Councillor, LAHDC Kargil, Ravinder Kumar Secretary Department of Youth & Sports, Administration of the Union Territory of Ladakh, Bidisha Dey, Executive Director of Eicher Group Foundation, CSR wing, Royal Enfield amongst other officials a d stakeholders from Ladakh.

Commissioned by the Administration of UT Ladakh, the blueprint was created by Royal Enfield with the collaboration of all stakeholders and has been reviewed by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). It looks at a holistic development of the sport and is a step towards realising the ambition of fielding an Indian Ice Hockey contingent at the 2042 Winter Olympics.“

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The start of a competitive league will go a long way in nurturing local talent and also scouting talent from the rural areas of the seven zones,” said Moses Kunzang, Joint Director of the Department of Youth Services and Sports (DYSS), Administration of the Union Territory of Ladakh.

The league will start with the establishment of ice hockey training camps across the seven zones of Ladakh, which will help spot and scout local talent. By the end of December players will be selected by a selection committee comprising members from DYSS, Ice Hockey Association for Ladakh (IHAL), Zonal Heads and 20 Ladakhi coaches trained by coaches from Germany.

Players will be selected for a total of 15 teams – 10 for men and 5 for women. The 10 men’s teams will be divided into two groups with teams within the groups playing against each other. The best four from each group will qualify for the knockout rounds starting in January 2024 and culminating with the Final in January 2024.

To be eligible for these training camps open to the civilian population of Ladakh only, candidates will need to have basic ice-skating skills and interested candidates can contact the local clubs for registrations. Detailed plans for the training camps, matches, and the schedules for the knockout stage will be announced shortly.

Noor Jahan, goalie Indian Women’s Ice Hockey team, Diskit Angmo, Spokesperson Indian Women’s Ice Hockey team, and other stakeholders were present during the virtual press conference held at the UT Secretariat.