Ice hockey in Africa

Yassine Fahas, Algeria

There are a number of indoor ice rinks in African countries that are used for ice hockey. Enthusiasts have formed national teams in several countries and an inaugural African Nations Cup of Ice Hockey was planned for 2009.[1][2] [3] The first African Nations Cup of Ice Hockey was planned for South Africa between 19–26 September 2009. The matches of the championship were to be played at the ice rink of "Festival Shopping Centre" in Kempton Park. The competing countries were to be South Africa, Morocco and Algeria.[4] However, the tournament was postponed due to lack of response from the invited countries and never played.[5]

In 2014, the Egyptian players of Anubis Ice Hockey Team, Egypt's first ice hockey team started to initiate with the Royal Moroccan Ice Hockey Federation the first African Cup. And in July 2016 the first African Ice Hockey Clubs Cup was held in Rabat, Morocco between 24 and 31 July. The championship was contested between 6 teams from Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria. Teams of Kenya, Libya and South Africa were also invited but they didn't participate. The cup was won by the Tunisian team.

Southern Africa

In South Africa, the sport is governed by the South African Ice Hockey Association. The South Africa men's national ice hockey team has been a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) since 1937.[6] South Africa made its international debut in a 12-3 loss to Yugoslavia in Group C of the 1961 World Ice Hockey Championships. Teams include the Krugersdorp Wildcats, Scorpions Johannesburg, Cape Town Rams, Cape Town Sharks and Cape Town Southern Knights.[7]

The Namibia national inline hockey team plays in international competitions, and the Namibia Ice and Inline Hockey Association (NIIHA) has been a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation since 1998.[8]

North Africa

Harond Litim of Algeria

The North western African country of Morocco has a number of ice hockey clubs like the Capitals, Ifis and Falcons who use a rink in a shopping mall in Rabat.[9] Ice hockey is governed in Morocco by the Moroccan Ice Hockey Association which is so far an associate member of the IIHF since 2010. The Morocco national ice hockey team represented their country in the 2008 Arab Cup of Ice Hockey, in Dubai.[10]

There is no ice rink in Algeria yet, but there is a strong national team made up of Algerian players who live and play abroad, mostly in France or Quebec, including pros like Djamel Zitouni, Yassine Fahas and Harond Litim. The Algeria national ice hockey team joined in the Arab Ice Hockey Federation.[11]

Tunisia's first ice rink is at the Blue Ice complex in the Yasmine Hammamet resort.[12] Tunisia national ice hockey team is being formed by the ice hockey player Ihab Ayed from France, and it's governed by the Tunisian Ice Hockey Association[13] The Tunisian team 'Carthage Eagles' is the first champion of Africa.

The biggest North African country, Egypt, has 11 ice rinks in 6 cities in six different governorates.[14] There are 3 ice rinks in the capital city, Cairo. In addition to other 3 in Sharm el-Sheikh, two in the 6th of October City, as well as one rink in Hurghada, 1 in Tanta and another in Borg El Arab. The biggest of those ice rinks is found in Sun City Mall in east Cairo that has a surface area of only 300 m2. Seven of the Egyptian rinks have ice grounds while 4 are wax rinks.

Starting from 2002, Maadi neighbourhood in south Cairo gained prominence in Egyptian ice hockey since it hosted the headquarter of Egypt's first ice hockey team which is named Anubis. This Egyptian amateur ice hockey team plays mainly in Ice Planet Rink in Maadi Family Land mall.[15][16][17] As of 2015, the administration of Anubis Team, Egypt's first ice hockey team, is working on establishing and launching the Egyptian Ice Hockey Federation in cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Youth and Sports.[18]

Anubis team organises the annual Egyptian Ramadani Ice Hockey Cup. The tournament took place in 2012, 2015 and 2016. The Egyptian National Ice Hockey Team and Anubis team have participated in Africa's 1st ever ice hockey championship African Ice Hockey Clubs Cup which was held in Rabat, Morocco in July 2016 under the supervision of the International Ice Hockey Federation and the Royal Moroccan Ice Hockey Federation.

Libya has 1 amateur team in Canada.

West Africa

Ice hockey is played in Côte d'Ivoire, although only by amateurs, on a rink built in the 1950s for Scandinavian tourists in the Hotel d'Ivoire in Abidjan.[19] Nigeria has 1 amateur team and 5 unofficial ice rinks.

East Africa

In 2005, the Solar Ice Rink was opened in the Panari Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya.[20] Several Kenyan schools have shown interest in setting up ice hockey teams.[21] Amateur ice hockey players from Djibouti are known to participate in some ice hockey matches in other African Countries.[22] Uganda has an ice rink and 1 amateur team.

Future of African ice hockey

So far there is no unifying African federation for ice hockey to govern the sport in the large continent. However, 12 African countries have different levels of ice hockey activities, South Africa is a full member of the IIHF with a national federation, ice hockey rinks, clubs and national teams. Morocco is an associate member of the IIHF with a national federation, a few clubs and a national team. Algeria has a national team and a national association but still with no IIHF membership and no clubs or ice hockey rinks. Namibia has a national federation with an affiliate membership in the IIHF, but it doesn't have a national ice hockey team. Tunisia has a national team and a national association but still with no IIHF membership. While in Egypt, Kenya, Côte d'Ivoire, there are amateur clubs and teams with no official statuses.

See also

Ice hockey

Namibia Ice and InLine Hockey Association

References

  1. ↑ "African Nations Cup of Ice Hockey". International Hockey Forums. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  2. ↑ "The official Twitter account of the first African Nations Cup of Ice Hockey, RSA 2009.". ANcupIceHockey. Retrieved 2015-01-10.
  3. ↑ "The official Facebook group of the African Nations Cup of Ice Hockey.". Gary Bock, Chris Engelbrecht and Nicholas Graf. Retrieved 2015-01-10.
  4. ↑ "African Nations schedule released". Association Algerienne de Ice et Inline Hockey. August 4, 2009. Archived from the original on July 25, 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-23.
  5. ↑ http://www.saicehockey.org.za/default_files/page325.htm
  6. ↑ "South African Squad and Coach announced for the Inaugural African Nations Cup of Ice Hockey.". South African Ice Hockey Association. 21 August 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  7. ↑ "RSA - South Africa" (PDF). IIHF. Retrieved 2009-08-23.
  8. ↑ "Namibia Ice and InLine Hockey Association". NIIHA. Retrieved 2009-08-23.
  9. ↑ "Le Hockey Sur Glace Au Maroc" (in French). Hockey Maroc. Retrieved 2009-08-23.
  10. ↑ "Hockey sur glace: Un championnat Arabe à Dubaï en juin prochain" (PDF) (in French). Atlas Media. Retrieved 2009-08-23.
  11. ↑ [http://www.iihf.com/de/home-of-hockey/news/news-singleview/article/hockey-oases-in-the-sahara.html?tx_ttnews[backPid]=252&cHash=e81b4c6520 "Hockey oases in the Sahara"]. International Ice Hockey Federation. 11-06-08. Retrieved 2009-08-23. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ↑ "Yasmine Hammamet". Tunisia First. Retrieved 2009-08-23.
  13. ↑ "Members". Arab Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original on June 7, 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-23.
  14. ↑ "Map of the sites of the 11 existing Egyptian ice rinks". Anubis, Egypt's first ice hockey team. Retrieved 2015-01-10.
  15. ↑ "The official Facebook page of Anubis Team". Anubis Team Administration. Retrieved 2015-01-10.
  16. ↑ "Ice skating in Egypt". One Fleeting Glimpse. June 4, 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-23.
  17. ↑ "What's a Child to Do (On Tour in Egypt)". InterCity Oz, Inc. Retrieved 2009-08-23.
  18. ↑ "Initiating the establishing process of the Egyptian Ice Hockey Federation". Anubis Team's official Facebook page. December 20, 2014. Retrieved 2015-01-10.
  19. ↑ Dave Bidini (2002). Tropic of Hockey: My Search for the Game in Unlikely Places. Globe Pequot. p. xvii. ISBN 1-58574-464-6.
  20. ↑ "The official Facebook page of Kenya Ice Hockey League". Bartholomew Sullivan, Bruce Strachan and Ali Kilanga. 2008-03-08. Retrieved 2015-01-10.
  21. ↑ "Kenyans chill on new ice rink". 24.Com. 2005-12-26. Retrieved 2009-08-23.
  22. ↑ "An ice hockey match in Nairobi between two amateur teams that represented Djibouti and Kenya". Bruce Strachan. 2013-11-17. Retrieved 2015-01-10.
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