Ice hockey: History made! India win bronze at 2025 IIHF Women's Asia Cup
India secure first-ever podium finish at 2025 Asia Cup
While India is well known for their achievements in sports such as cricket and badminton, a new group of athletes are now putting the nation on the map, as the Indian Women’s Ice Hockey Team rose to glory by winning a bronze medal at the 2025 IIHF Women's Asia Cup.
Against all betting odds, the 20 women, 19 of whom hail from Ladakh and the other from Himachal Pradesh, won three of their five matches at the six-nation event, beating Malaysia, Kyrgyzstan and host nation, the United Arab Emirates.
The match against the UAE was without question the headline, as Team India managed to trade blows with the home team in an intense clash that was decided in the dying moments of the match, with India scoring the final goal to clinch a 5-4 victory.
The result was also redemption for the Indian women, who were beaten 2-1 by the UAE in last year’s competition. Earlier in the competition, Team India secured a 3-1 win over Malaysia and beat Kyrgyzstan in a shootout after the match ended at 2-2. They also suffered a heavy 5-1 defeat to Iran.
Speaking to Indian media after their victory over the UAE, team captain Tsewang Chuskit expressed her joy and explained the difficulties her side faced en route to their first-ever IIHF Women’s Asia Cup medal, saying:
“When we participated in our first international tournament in Chinese Taipei in 2016, we had no idea about artificial ice. We didn’t even have proper equipment back then, most of it was borrowed from friends and cousins. Our victory will help spread awareness about the sport across the country, encouraging players from all states to participate. We hope many will feel inspired and take interest in playing ice hockey.”
Chuskit went on to mention that the future of ice hockey in India hinges on the ability of the nation to provide proper training facilities, improved coaching and support staff, and increased funding to help athletes take up the sport full time.
India’s ice hockey journey over the past decade
Given Indian weather patterns, it is unsurprising that almost the entire women’s ice hockey team hails from Ladakh, where natural ice is available during the winter months. This is where the team was originally formed back in 2016, which was also the first year they competed in a tournament - the IIHF Women’s Challenge Cup of Asia Division 1.
India lost every match in that tournament, but gained valuable lessons, especially around the difference between natural and artificial ice, something they had barely ever seen due to having limited access to proper ice rinks across the country.
Through learning and adapting, the team managed to finish third at the 2019 IIHF Women’s Challenge Cup of Asia Division 1 and built on their performance at the 2023 Asia and Oceania Championship, where they finished fourth, losing to Singapore 3-1 in the bronze-medal match.
Fast forward another couple of years, and the Indian women’s team finally claimed their first medal earlier this month and has already begun preparations for the next Asian Championships, while their sights are set on qualifying for higher-tier competitions.
