New Delhi: In a sport few imagined Indian women could master, the Indian Women’s Ice Hockey team has shattered expectations, clinching a historic Bronze at the IIHF Asia Cup.
Their journey—shaped by struggle, stereotypes, and unwavering grit—now serves as an inspiration for athletes across the country, according to a press release.
The team secured third place in June at the 2025 IIHF Women’s Asia Cup in Al Ain, UAE, a triumph that exemplifies courage, resilience, and the breaking of barriers in a sport traditionally dominated by men.
For players like Diskit C Angmo, ice hockey began with a simple curiosity: watching her brother play. “I didn’t know girls could even play hockey,” she recalls. That curiosity sparked a revolution, as young women from Ladakh challenged deep-rooted societal norms.
Team captain Tsewang Chuskit remembers the skepticism: “Some uncles in the audience asked, ‘What are you doing playing with the boys? This isn’t a girl’s game.’” Rather than discourage her, it strengthened her resolve. “It became more important to prove the world wrong than to prove myself right,” Diskit adds.
Resistance came not just from spectators. Assistant Coach Ali Amir recalls, “They said, ‘You’re a girl, what will you play? You’ll get married, go to someone else’s house.’” Yet these same girls stood tall on the global stage, delivering a moment of pride for India.
Despite mockery—“They go abroad just for fun,” or “They’re happy with fourth place”—the team pushed forward. Padma Chorol says, “We weren’t satisfied with fourth. We gave it everything we had.”
Rigzin Yangdol captures their mindset perfectly: “To score a goal, we weren’t just up against the opposition—we had to win against the world.”
Rinchen Dolma’s comeback, just five months after giving birth, is now legendary. Facing comments like, “You’re a mother now, go home,” she returned to the rink, scored a goal, and declared defiantly, “I’ll come here with my baby, and I’ll show you what scoring a goal really means.”
Assistant Coach Ali Amir, moved by their resilience, reflects, “When the national anthem played and our flag was hoisted, I felt pride like never before. What I couldn’t achieve as a player, I achieved as a coach—thanks to these incredible women.”
Through every challenge, the team never lost sight of their mission. Sonam Angmo sums it up: “We’re playing for the country. Even when support was missing, we stood strong. This medal is for everyone who believed in us.”
Their journey has now reached a wider audience through Sound of Courage, a tribute film by Pocket FM, India’s leading audio platform, capturing their grit, passion, and unbreakable spirit—a story that needed to be heard.
From icy rinks to the Asia Cup podium, India’s Ice Queens have shown that courage is contagious—and that dreams pursued with heart can echo far beyond the rink.
