India to compete in Ice Hockey Women's Asia and Oceania Championship

The Indian women's ice hockey team is all set to compete at the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey Women's Asia and Oceania Championships which will be held from 30th April to 7th May 2023.

The Ice Hockey Association of India has named a 20-member squad, which includes five debutants for the tournament. Tsewang Chuskit has been named the captain of the team with Canadian Darrin Harrold set to take the coaching duties.

The unveiling of the team jersey on Monday was followed by a panel discussion on the growth of ice hockey across the Himalayas, the development of winter sports and winter tourism.

"It's truly a proud moment for all of us at the Ice Hockey Association of India as our girls prepare to compete at yet another major global championship. Our goal is to ensure that more people across the country see ice hockey as the serious competitive sport it is and not just a winter recreational game," said Harjinder Singh Jindi, General Secretary, Ice Hockey Association of India.

A total of 18 Asian countries will be represented in the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship programme at different levels in 2023. These include Kazakhstan, Korea, Japan, China, the United Arab Emirates, DPR Korea, Turkmenistan, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, Hong Kong (China), Kyrgyzstan, Iran, Singapore, Malaysia, Kuwait, the Philippines, Mongolia and Indonesia.

The IIHF Asia and Ocenia Championship is a platform to give members nations that are not part of the World Championship Programme a chance to compete and gain experience.