China News Service, Hulunbuir, February 19th: Title: Hong Kong ice hockey team pursues its dream of "14th Winter": Hope to drive further development of Hong Kong ice hockey
China News Service reporter Xing Rui and Xing Chong
The men's youth ice hockey competition of the 14th National Winter Games kicked off on the 18th, and the Hong Kong ice hockey team also ushered in its "first show" at this Winter Games. The Hong Kong team led the way and defeated the Tianjin team 4:1 to get a "good start".
In an interview with a reporter from China News Service, head coach Jian Zhaoqian said that he was satisfied with the performance of the players. He hoped that the team could achieve good results in the "14th Winter" competition, and also hoped to promote Hong Kong's ice hockey movement by participating in the "14th Winter". Further development.
On February 18, the Group B match of the men's youth group round-robin tournament of the 14th National Winter Games was held in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia. The Hong Kong team defeated the Tianjin team with a score of 4-1. The picture shows Hong Kong team No. 10 Liu Xincheng controlling the ball during the game. Photo by China News Service reporter Cui Nan
Before the game, the Hong Kong team members became the focus of attention as soon as they entered the field. Many local Hulunbuir spectators came to the scene to cheer for the Hong Kong team. "In the warm Hong Kong area, ice hockey can develop very well. This surprises me. They come all the way to applaud them." said an audience at the scene.
Perhaps what surprises the audience even more is that the Hong Kong men's youth ice hockey team is actually an amateur team composed of students. According to Kan Siu-qian, they only have about ten days to prepare for the "14th Winter". In order to participate in the competition, the team members took more than 20 days off and traveled more than 3,000 kilometers to the ice-covered northern border of the United States.
It was the first time for many team members to come to Hulunbuir, and their knowledge of the city before had only been in books. In goalkeeper Lin Ziying's mind, Inner Mongolia had blue skies, white clouds, and green grasslands, but when he actually arrived, he was full of praise for the exquisite ice sculptures, brand-new sports venues, and complete venue facilities.
"The ice rinks here are larger and more numerous than Hong Kong (ice rinks), the ice surface is harder than Hong Kong, and the ball speed is faster." Lin Ziying kept praising the ice hockey venues in the "14th Winter".
The lack of suitable ice hockey venues once restricted the development of ice hockey in Hong Kong. According to Kan Zhaoqian, Hong Kong ice rinks are basically located in shopping malls, and the fees are relatively high. Due to venue restrictions, the team only has about one and a half hours of training time per week, and there are few opportunities to participate in high-level competitions.
However, in recent years, Hong Kong youth ice hockey has been making steady progress. Team leader Jian Yangjie said that currently Hong Kong ice hockey has formed echelons in multiple age groups, from the U7 to U17 age groups, and training is basically conducted every week.
The "14th Winter" youth competition venue is a stage for these Hong Kong children who love ice hockey to pursue their dreams and a platform to test their training results. Before becoming the coach, Kan Siu-him represented the Hong Kong ice hockey team in the "Twelve Winters" and "Thirteen Winters" open competitions. This time he returns to the Winter Games as the head coach. He hopes that the players can seize the opportunity of this competition. .
"I have never participated in a similar youth competition before. This time I compete with high-level players from across the country. It is crucial to the development of the team and the development of Hong Kong ice hockey." Kan Siu-qian said that if the players' time allows, they can also I hope they can come to the mainland to participate in the youth hockey series.
The victory in the first game of "Fourteenth Winter" also brought confidence to this team. According to the schedule, the Hong Kong team will also face the Jilin team and Inner Mongolia team with rich experience in ice hockey development. Kan Siu-chien said that the team will play every game as a final. With better competition results, it will attract more Hong Kong teenagers to join ice hockey. (over)