Kuwait to host Division I of Challenge Cup of Asia

KUWAIT, April 17 (KUNA) -- Division I of the Asian hockey tournament, Challenge Cup of Asia, is to be hosted by Kuwait, as of Saturday, with participation of six teams.
The games, scheduled to proceed till April 24th, are organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). The Division I matches in Kuwait are part of the Ice Hockey Challenge Cup of Asia tournament, organized during the 2014-2015 season and held on the Russian island of Sakhalin, Taipei City and Kuwait City.
The three tournaments are in particular aimed at Asian countries that don't fulfill standards for the World Championship program but can compete with each other at regional tournaments with participants from the Middle East and Far East. The Division I event will group six teams; Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Singapore, India, Malaysia and Oman.
The Kuwaiti team plays against Singapore after inauguration of the contests, sponsored by Sheikh Ahmad Mansour Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Chairman of the Public Authority for Youth and Sports. Then Kirgizstan will play against Malaysia and Oman against India.
Fehaid Al-Ajmi, Chairman of Kuwait Winter Games Club and head of the tournament's steering committee, affirmed at a news conference that all necessary preparations for the sports events have been completed, noting that it would be fully under supervision of the IIHF.
Holding such a sports event in Kuwait signals the fact that ice hockey in Kuwait "has made strides forward for placing the name of Kuwait on this game's map in Asia and the world," he said during the conference, held at the club headquarters.
Mohammad Al-Ajmi, coach of the Kuwaiti team, said it prepared well for the competitions, noting the players had been subjected to two training camps in Sweden, for two months. (end) fsa.rk