New Delhi, Feb 16 (IANS): The Ice Hockey Association of India announced the start of the Under-20 National Championship which will be held in the country's first all-year rink 'iSKATE' here from Monday with the final slated for Thursday.

The venue is located on the sixth floor of the Ambience Mall in Gurgaon and is spread over 15,000 square feet.

Earlier, such championships have been held in Shimla, Leh and Kargil which are natural rinks and operational, withstanding weather conditions and thus only possible during certain weeks of the year.

The decision to host the championship at iSKATE allows athletes to not only compete any time of the year in an indoor rink but also practice throughout.

The tournament will witness five teams from Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Ladakh Winter Sports Club. Some of the top players participating are Tsewang Namgail, Faisal Ahmad Giri, Stanzin Namgyal and Gamandeep Singh.