Ice-skating is not a sport that we associate with India. But despite the obscurity of the sport in the country, the 13th National Ice-skating Championship was held in Gurgaon on 5-6 January this year as competitors from various states of India and even some Indians from abroad competed against each other to be crowned the national champion.
Himachal Pradesh also boasts of Asia’s oldest skating surface rink in the state capital Shimla where water on the clay ground of the rink freezes under natural conditions in the night.
The idea of a natural skating rink in Shimla was developed by an Irish military official named Blessington who lived there during the British rule.
He had inadvertently kept a bucket of water outside his residence and in the morning found it frozen. That gave him the idea of a skating rink and he created a small one of his own.
To give boost to ice skating games in India, Ice Skating Association of India was formed in March 2002 on the advice of Raja Randhir Singh, Secretary General of India Olympics Associations and Shri Suresh Kalmadi, President of India Olympic Association.
It’s clear that India has come really forward in this sport and is improving its infrastructure gradually.
For six years, a Bird Group enterprise called iSKATE has successfully run an all-season ice rink in Gurgaon. They have taken their operations to the next level in partnership with The Hockey Foundation (THF), a New York-based non-profit, by recently inaugurating an ice-rink in the Chibra Kargyam village situated in the remote Changthang region of Ladakh.
Situated at an altitude of 14,350 feet above sea level, this is the ‘highest’ ice-rink in the world. Marking the inauguration of this 60mx30m ice rink, a 16-team tournament was conducted, setting a Guinness World Record of the ‘highest’ ice hockey event,reported the Times of India.
Olympian coaches from countries like Austria and Russia are currently teaching Indian children the basics of Figure Skating, Long Stead and Short Stead skating at the iSKATE ice skating arena at the Ambiance Mall here.
In India, where ice skating is still in the nascent stages with only six indoor ice skating rinks and four outdoor rinks, such exposure can be hugely beneficial to develop the sport in the country.
Good post. I learn something new and challenging on blogs I stumbleupon everyday. It will always be interesting to read articles from other authors and use a little something from their sites.