New Delhi, Dec 7 (IANS): Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports on Thursday unveiled a strategic Blueprint for the development of Ice Hockey in the Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh.

Royal Enfield unveiled a strategic blueprint for the development of Ice Hockey in the Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh.

Titled Game Changer, the blueprint document, prepared by Royal Enfield, will serve as a roadmap for the holistic development of the sport in Ladakh and is a step towards realising the ambition of fielding an Indian Ice Hockey contingent at the 2042 Winter Olympics.

The blueprint was handed over to Thakur in the presence of advocate Tashi Gyaltsan, Chief Executive Councillor, Leh, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Mohd Jaffer Akhoon, Chief Executive Councillor, Kargil, LAHDC and Ravinder Kumar (IAS), Secretary to Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh and Department of Youth & Sports, Administration of the Union Territory of Ladakh by Bidisha Dey, Executive Director of Eicher Group Foundation, the CSR and Sustainability arm of Royal Enfield, at an event in the national capital.

“Today's development is very exciting for our nation. I would like to congratulate the Administration of the Union Territory of Ladakh and Royal Enfield, for the creation of this Blueprint for the Development of Ice Hockey in Ladakh.

"This blueprint is a Game Changer and will certainly pave the way to enable an Indian Ice Hockey contingent to participate in the 2042 Winter Olympics,” said Anurag Singh Thakur, who has also written the foreword of this potentially game-changing document.

With more than 90% of India’s Ice Hockey players hailing from Ladakh winter sports is emerging as a promising avenue towards building resilience and generating livelihood opportunities—particularly for the youth. It can also simultaneously boost winter tourism, potentially transforming Ladakh into a coveted winter sports destination.

Commissioned by the Administration of the Union Territory of Ladakh, Royal Enfield collaborated with the European Business and Technical Centre (EBTC) and all relevant local, national and international stakeholders to develop this Blueprint, shaping the future of Ice hockey and winter sports in India.

Reviewed by and created with inputs from the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), this holistic document covers requirements for equipment and infrastructure, scouting and nurturing local talent, conducting training camps with the involvement of international coaches and professional governance, among other things.

While the document has been commissioned by the Administration of the Union Territory of Ladakh and has been created to develop the sport in Ladakh, it is not limited in its scope. It can be used as a template for developing the sport in other Himalayan states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.