Changsha gears up for ice hockey

Changsha is poised to develop the winter sport of ice hockey with the aid of the Swedish Ice Hockey Association (SIHA), Changsha Evening News reported on Nov 30. 

Representatives from the world-famous hockey league, including Mikael Lundstrom, the league's representative in China, and instructor Stefan Bergkvist completed a tour of Hunan's ice arena and met with local officials to discuss cooperation in the speedy ice-based sport. 

Su Jianquan, deputy director of the Hunan sports bureau, welcomed Swedish representatives coming to Changsha and said that Hunan will vigorously promote ice sports and introduce more competitions and events opening up winter sports to the public.

Representatives from the Swedish Ice Hockey Association with Hunan hockey players in Changsha, Hunan province, on Nov 30. [Photo/icswb.com] 

With the Winter Olympics, which will be co-hosted by Beijing and Zhangjiakou in North China's Hebei province, high on China's sports agenda through 2022, people across the country are being encouraged to participate. 

Ice hockey enjoys immense popularity around the world, especially in Canada, central and Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, and the United States. 

Lundstrom said that his association is very pleased to cooperate with the Hunan sports bureau, the Hunan-based Better Life Group and Austrian company AST, a supplier of ice skating rinks, to support development of ice hockey in China.

The association will involve more people in this sport and offer its professional resources and experience to help improve Chinese competitiveness, Lundstrom added. 

Sweden enjoys a world-leading status in ice hockey. Founded in 1922, the SIHA has more than 400 ice hockey clubs in 22 regions. It has organized numerous competitions and tournaments for all ages for both amateurs and professionals.