The boys’ and girls’ Ice Hockey Spiti Cup championships were won by the Centre Zone and Tod Zone, respectively, in yesterday’s finals held at the Ice Hockey Rink, Kaza, in the tribal district of Lahaul and Spiti.
In the boys’ and girls’ categories, respectively, Pin Zone and Sham Zone finished as runners-up.
Thinley Norbu and Tenzin Dorje were declared the winners and runners-up, respectively, in the open boys speed skating division. Tenzin Dekang won the girl’s division, with Angroop Chomo coming in second.
Lahaul & Spiti, Royal Enfield, and the Ice Hockey Association organized the championship together.
The players were presented with medals and certificates by Abhay Dogra, president of the Ice Hockey Association of Himachal Pradesh, who was the main guest at the closing ceremony.
The Ice Hockey Association of Lahaul & Spiti and Royal Enfield presented Dogra with an award. On this occasion, the chief lamas of the monasteries of Key, Kaza, Kungri, Dhankhar, and Tabo were also honored.
“Royal Enfield and Ice Hockey Association of Lahaul & Spiti have made a new beginning,” chief guest Abhay Dogra said in his speech. The annual Spiti Cup will now be held here in order to provide a better platform for Spiti’s players and foster the emergence of talented players.
Although ice hockey is a costly and challenging game, kids are receiving ice hockey equipment here thanks to sponsorship and administrative efforts. “Spiti’s team never leaves a competition without taking home a medal. For our Spiti, this is a source of pride.”
Speaking during the program, Kaza Additional Deputy Commissioner Rahul Jain mentioned that this was the first time the Spiti Cup was organized.
Over Rs 23 lakh worth of ice hockey equipment was donated to the children of Spiti by Royal Enfield. In Spiti, six clubs have been established where kids receive fundamental instruction for over a month. He added that teams from Losar, Hal, Kaza, Shichling, Lalung, and Saganam clubs were included in the championship. Following this, teams were formed from these to compete in the Spiti Cup.
Lahaul and MLA for Spiti Ravi Thakur congratulated the Ice Hockey Association and Royal Enfield officials on a job well done in organizing the Spiti Cup.
He said that every possible support for winter sports was being given by the state government. This series marked the first time that Spiti had hosted an Ice Hockey Cup of this type.
He also mentioned that the state government was building ice hockey infrastructure in Spiti at a rapid rate.
During the closing ceremony, Best Girl Player Tenzin Digyong and Best Boy Player Phuchonk Bangchuk received honors as well. Memorabilia was also given to each coach, including head coach Amit Belbal, as a sign of respect.
On behalf of Himalaya Experiences, Mayank Bhojne, Kinjal Patel, and Sudhir Ahuja distributed ice hockey equipment.
