Excelsior Sports Correspondent
LEH, Feb 27: The Indian men’s Ice Hockey squad recently paid a visit to the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Brigadier (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd), at the LT Governor’s Secretariat. This visit came after their participation in the Asian Winter Games held in Harbin, China, where the unranked team competed against more established teams, managing to secure a victory over Macau in one of their four matches.
The Lieutenant Governor commended the team’s efforts and encouraged them to strive for even higher achievements in future tournaments. He highlighted the necessity of enhancing ice hockey management in Ladakh, proposing the establishment of an Ice Hockey Federation that would be affiliated with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). He stressed that this federation should be based in Ladakh and locally governed to ensure the sport’s development and support for players from the region.
Additionally, the Lieutenant Governor emphasized the need to uplift the standards of ice hockey in Ladakh and urged the team to guide and mentor future players. He assured the team that the UT Administration would finalize a Sports Policy that would incorporate sports quotas in government jobs for eligible athletes from Ladakh.
In response, the team expressed their heartfelt appreciation for the support they received to partake in the international event and urged the establishment of sports quotas for local players in government positions.
