The first working group meeting of the Association for the Development of Ice Hockey in Islamic Countries was held on January 17 in Kazan at the international hockey forum among Islamic countries Kazan Hockey Cup.

Delegates from 14 countries, the heads of hockey federations of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Algeria, Oman, Bahrain, Iran, Mongolia, Lebanon, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkey and representatives of the Hockey Federation of the Republic of Tatarstan reached an agreement on cooperation and collaboration in the development of hockey, organization of joint sports tournaments and experience exchange between the federations.

President of the Ice Hockey Federation of the Republic of Tatarstan Nail Maganov was elected the head of the Association. President of the Ice Hockey Federation of Kyrgyzstan Anvar Omorkanov was elected vice-president for the Asian region, and Hamel Al Kubaisi, president of the UAE Winter Sports Federation was elected vice-president for the Middle Eastern region. Headquarters of organization will be located in Kazan, Russia.

The purpose of the organization – the development of hockey in the states with the leading religion of Islam, the development and popularization of hockey in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. The cooperation will allow the countries to emulate best practices of Russian hockey and to get the access to players, coaches and referees educational programs.

Anvar Omorkanov, president of the Kyrgyzstan Ice Hockey Federation:

“Tatarstan has a great history of hockey development, there is the country’s leading club Ak Bars with the best Russian players and the best training conditions created for players at the team’s facility. We are amazed by the level of infrastructure for children’s and adult hockey, and we are very happy that we could take part in such a tournament.

ooperation with the Tatarstan Ice Hockey Federation will be a great impetus for the development of hockey in Islamic countries. By adopting the experience of hockey world leaders, our colleagues from the Middle East and Africa will be able to do even more to popularize and develop our game.

There are still many Islamic countries in the world where hockey is also played, so our organization will grow with time. One of the association’s goals is to include hockey in the Islamic Solidarity Games, which will give our sport an even greater impetus.

Hamel Al Qubaisi, President of the UAE Winter Sports Federation:

Great thanks to Kazan and Tatarstan for their hospitality, to all participants for the tournament, the forum and our meeting. We are glad that now our cooperation in hockey reached a new level. The popularity of hockey in our countries is increasing, in the UAE the demand for lessons already exceeds our capabilities, especially hockey is attractive for girls.

Tatarstan’s conditions for developing sports impressed all the guests, and it was not for nothing that we chose Kazan as the headquarters of our new organization. It is the northernmost capital of the Islamic world and the hockey leader among Muslim regions. We are sure that our joint work will achieve high results and we will do the best for the development of hockey in the world.