Mumbai: The Administration of the Union Territory of Ladakh, Ice Hockey Association of Ladakh and Royal Enfield, the global leader in the mid-size (250cc-750cc) motorcycle segment, revealed the names and logos of 15 teams that will take part in the first-ever Royal Enfield Ice Hockey League in Ladakh from 3 to 13 January 2024. The revelation was done via a spectacular road show with Royal Enfield riders being flagged in by Sonam Chosjor, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC), Leh. The riders rode from the NDS Sports complex to the Leh main market that is at the heart of the city. During the event, official jerseys were handed over to the respective captains of the 15 participating teams, of which 10 are men’s and five are women’s. The start of a competitive league specifically for the civilian population of Ladakh will go a long way in scouting and nurturing local talent from rural areas of Ladakh.

Training and selection camps were set up across five of the seven zones of Ladakh, - Changthang, Leh (which also includes camps for Nubra and Zanskar), Sham, Drass and Shakar Chiktan. Players and teams that will participate in the League have been selected from these zonal camps by a committee comprising members from the Department of Youth Services & Sports (DYSS), Ice Hockey Association for Ladakh (IHAL), Ladakh Women Ice Hockey Foundation (LWIHF), zonal heads and local Ladakhi coaches.

The Royal Enfield Ice Hockey League has been initiated to create a competitive environment to grow the sport from grassroot levels, which is also in line with the roadmap laid out in The Game Changer - Blueprint for the Development of Ice Hockey in Ladakh. The Blueprint was launched earlier this month in the presence of Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, Hon’ble Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting and Youth Affairs & Sports, and dignitaries 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.

Royal Enfield is currently working with all stakeholders to grow winter sports particularly Ice Hockey across the Himalayas. In Ladakh, Royal Enfield has already supported the development of the sport by providing equipment and training with a ‘train the trainer’ programme where 20 coaches were trained by coaches brought in from Germany. More than 500 children have been provided training in ice skating, which is the starting point for anyone aspiring to play ice hockey. Additionally, ice hockey kits have been procured and will be distributed to players who don’t have access to sporting equipment. Royal Enfield is also working with the Ice Hockey Association of India and the Ice Hockey Association of Lahaul to set up training camps and host the Royal Enfield Spiti Cup in Himachal Pradesh this winter.

The teams and their key players who will take part in the first-ever Royal Enfield Ice Hockey League are as follows: