National Teams of Ice Hockey

By Mohammed Taha – Muscat Daily

In a historic development, the first Omani women’s national ice hockey team was unveiled on Thursday at FunZone in Muscat. This landmark moment is the result of years of dedication of officials and relentless determination of the team members who defied all odds and challenges to pursue their passion.

Present at the team launch was H H Sayyida Hujaija Jaifer al Said.

Overjoyed at the momentous occasion, Sharifa Ali al Aufi, Secretary of Oman Skating Sports Committee, told Muscat Daily, “There’s immense confidence and belief in this team. I’m elated that we can represent Oman and am part of this pioneering initiative.”

Sharifa envisions the team making Oman proud on the international stage, with aspirations of competing in the Women’s Ice Hockey World Cup someday. Sharing how formation of the team began in 2021, she informed that the effort was spearheaded by Saud Nasser al Aufi, Training and Development Manager of Oman Skating Sports Committee. The initiative began with selection of just four players.

After rigorous training and friendly matches in the sultanate, the team recently underwent further conditioning in Kuwait. Its mettle will soon be tested in an international tournament in the UAE being held from September 5 to 9.

“We stand steadfastly with our team, especially as it debuts in the UAE championship. It will be competing against teams from Mexico, the Philippines, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE,” Aufi informed.

However, the journey hasn’t been without challenges. Highlighting the lack of adequate training facilities in the sultanate, Aufi said, “We have only three small stadiums, none of Olympic standards.”

Additionally, lack of equipment and financial constraints posed hurdles. Having overcome all challenges, the team now has 28 dedicated players.

With a national team now formed, Aufi has his eye set on setting up more teams across the sultanate’s wilayats to popularise the sport. “To encourage more youth to embrace the sport, and host Arab, Asian and global tournaments, we need Olympic-standard ice hockey facilities.”

He extended his gratitude to FunZone and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, saying, “Their unwavering support enabled us to meet the challenge and establish the national team. Kudos also to the families of our players for their immense support.”

He wished the team success in its international debut later this week.

Players compete in the women’s ice hockey match between Guangdong and Sichuan at the National Winter Games in Hulun Buir, North China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, on July 22, 2023.

By Lu Wenao – Global Times

The ice hockey competitions at the National Winter Games, though rarely held in the summer, concluded in early August in Hulun Buir, North China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, as the spotlight surprisingly fell on teams from southern China.

Debutants Guangdong Province, whose women’s ice hockey lineup included several players affiliated with international teams such as national team captain Yu Baiwei, claimed their maiden national championship title as they won the seven-team competition.

“It allows more people to witness the charm of ice and snow in the summer. It’s our first experience participating in such an event during [the summer] season,” Yu told the Global Times. “I hope more people will watch our games, fall in love with ice hockey and even engage in the sport.”

Yu, who joined Shenzhen-based club Shenzhen Red Star in South China’s Guangdong Province in 2017, said Guangdong has been very supportive in developing winter sports, though the province is known for its warm climate.

“Guangdong has provided strong support for ice and snow sports, and these efforts have shown results in recent years,” Yu said. “I believe winning the National Winter Games will inspire more cities in southern China to develop ice and snow sports.”

In the men’s tournament, debutants Chongqing Municipality rounded off their ­maiden National Winter Games foray with a fourth-place finish in a nine-team race.

“They have demonstrated tenacity as the team even without winning a medal for Chongqing,” said Zhang Ge, deputy director of the Chongqing Winter Sports Administration. “The emergence of several outstanding young players is the greatest positive from our participation in this event.” 

Zhang mentioned that the team still requires more competitions to gain match fitness, saying, “We believe that with an increase in tournament participation, the team will see greater improvement.”

Olympic legacy

For many people from northern China, ice sports like skating are ­familiar, with locals having ­participated in them since childhood. Artificial ice technology spread in China thanks to Beijing winning the 2022 Winter Olympic bid, and has helped introduce children and teenagers winter sports in southern China.

The aforementioned two teams are just examples of ice hockey’s spread in southern China, as teams representing Sichuan and Anhui provinces, as well as Shanghai Municipality, areas in southern China where ice and snow is rarely seen, also qualified for the National Winter Games.

The southwestern province of Sichuan founded its ice hockey team in 2019, as the province aims to establish a squad that might widen the talent pool of the national team, said Duan Yuchuan, chief of Sichuan’s winter sports authority.

“Our short-term goal when establishing the team in 2019 was to participate in the National Winter Games and the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. This goal has since been achieved,” Duan told the Global Times. 

“The mid-term goal is to win medals at national multi-sport events, contributing more talent to the national teams. Now we have seen several talent being summoned to the national team training camp,” Duan said, before noting that their long-term goal is to have Sichuan-born athletes win gold medals for China at the Winter Olympics in the future.

“Athletes from Sichuan often possess advantages in flexibility, skill, endurance, and performance. These strengths can be fully harnessed in specialized development across segments such as ice and snow sports skills,” he added.

Sichuan’s hopes of being summoned to the national team are firmly pinned to Sichuan’s women’s goalie Wei Xueqin. Wei, now 22, made it to the national team training camp for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics but had to skip the quadrennial tournament due to a squad limit. 

Despite not making it to the national team, Wei continues to relentlessly strive for greatness. 

National team captain Yu, 35, said witnessing many young ice hockey players at the National Games assures her that the sport has a brighter future.

“I have seen emerging forces in ice hockey like the Sichuan team, represented by athletes crossing disciplines and fields. While they might lack some technical skills and experience, I can feel their youthful enthusiasm when competing against them,” Yu told the Global Times. 

“As long as they keep pushing forward and maintain the momentum, there’s significant potential for the future development of women’s ice hockey in China.”

The competition for younger ice hockey players will be held in February 2024, when Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region hosts the full-scale National Winter Games. It is considered an event in which China’s ice hockey younger squad depth will be tested before the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Preparing for championship

As Shenzhen, a metropolis in South China’s Guangdong Province, will host the Division I Group A women’s ice hockey world championship tournament from August 20 to 26, China has a chance to further expand ice hockey’s influence in the country.

Team China will host Denmark, Norway, Slovakia, Austria, and the Netherlands in the tournament, all aiming for gold and a chance for advancement in the sport’s international ranking.

Yu also underlines that actualizing quality performances is also vital to boost the sport’s popularity.

“It’s not just about achieving results, but also about playing the game well,” Yu said. 

“Showing the younger generations what kind of teamwork and technical moves can be displayed in ice hockey is vital for the sport. I hope we can deliver better performances and become an example for young players to learn from.”

A Recent picture of the Israel Women’s National Team playing at the OneIce Arena in Tnuvot, just outside Netanya.

By Joshua Halickman – Jerusalem Post

Ice hockey may not be the most popular sport in Israel, but it rivals any in terms of passion.

For the hundreds of those who spend their time on the gleaming chilly surface or stand behind the boards watching their kids trying to handle the puck with a stick while balancing on skates, it is not a revelation that the national federation in Israel has recently passed through a very difficult period of turbulence.

For the hundreds of those who spend their time on the gleaming chilly surface or stand behind the boards watching their kids trying to handle the puck with a stick while balancing on skates, it is not a revelation that the national federation in Israel has recently passed through a very difficult period of turbulence.

But now the wait is over. The new management team of the Ice Hockey Federation of Israel (IHFI) has been selected and the organization can return to its primary mission – taking the local game to new heights.

New Board of Directors

A competent Board of Directors, under the guidance of the new president Basil Gamsu, will help ensure that no infringements are possible, a volunteer-based professional operations unit led by new CEO Mikhael Horowitz will take care of the hands-on, day-to-day activities, and a renewed Professional Committee led by Pavel Levin will advise and direct on the professional side.

Levin and Horowitz are by no means new to this game and they have many notches on their belts which prove their competence. Pavel is one of the founders of OneIce Arena, the country’s best ice facility located in Tnuvot just outside of Netanya, and Mikhael, an Israeli-born hockey manager, has international experience and education both in North America and Europe and has been involved in hockey within Israel  for more than 20 years. Heading the organization as the president, Gamsu is an experienced financial leader who anticipates guiding the organization to prosperity.

“We have gone through difficult times in previous years,” noted Horowitz. “The global pandemic alongside internal misdoings have taken us many steps back. But we have held strong. As Christine Caine stated: ‘Sometimes when you’re in a dark place you think you’ve been buried, but you’ve actually been planted.’ That’s the attitude we have. That’s the attitude that allowed us to have a breakthrough season this year.”

In a very short period of time, the new processes led by renewed IHFI management definitely have borne fruit. Starting in January in Turkey, where the U20 team reached the final of its divisional tournament but had to settle for silver after losing to Australia. Then in March in Iceland, the U18 team made it a step further winning gold in Division 3A and being promoted to an upper tier for the first time since 2008.

Later in March, OneIce Arena hosted the Women’s World Championship in Division 3B – the first International Ice Hockey Federation level event to be hosted in the country. On home ice, the blue-and–white ladies accomplished their first-ever victory, defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina, and brought home their first medal as they finished ranked second.

Finally, in April in Spain, the men’s team successfully secured a spot in Division 2A after a heroic mini-miracle-on-ice, last-second win vs Iceland in its final game – yet another unprecedented feat.

IHFI success has been greatly influenced by OneIce Arena’s support and involvement as a strategic partnership has developed between the federation and the venue. The facility, which had run independently from the IHFI in previous years, has fully opened its doors for the first time to IHFI activities.

Since opening in 2019, OneIce Arena has sponsored national team activity, merged its league with the national league and brought know-how to operations. Having survived the COVID-caused hiatus the arena now operates around the clock welcoming everybody who shares the owners’ passion for ice sports.

OneIce co-hosts, alongside with the northern Canada Center facility in Metula and a smaller rink in the Holon – Ice Peaks – the renewed Israel National Hockey Leagues (INHL). The INHL is the federation’s national league which provides leagues for youth, juniors, adults, and masters, the veterans who refuse to give up the game.

OneIce Arena is home to the OneIce Hockey Academy which runs programs for kids and adults of all ages and levels – from those who just put their skates on for the first time until those who become (semi)professionals.

What’s next? After all the positive overhaul, the future of Israeli ice hockey seems as bright as ever. New management knows that there is a lot of hard work to be done and they are very happy they can rely on their close colleagues and friends for support.

“I would like to thank everyone who has given back to hockey this year,” said Horowitz. ”We are running a huge volunteer-based operation. I would like to acknowledge Felix Kozak and Steven and Natalie Maksin as they have been a huge help throughout the years.

“Through his work as an attorney, Felix knows everything about sponsorship and fundraising, which is an invaluable support for the national teams program. The Maksin couple and their company, Moonbeam Capital Investments, also proved themselves as devoted and reliable partners – and, most importantly, true friends who share a passion for the game and are always ready to help tackle any problem and overcome any barrier, just like good teammates do.

“With friends like these anything is possible.”