Top coaches to train competitors for Ice-Skating championship

Shimla, Dec 1 (UNI) The Ice Skating Association of India (ISAI) today said was roping in top international coaches to conduct a training camp to prepare competitors for the national ice-skating championship that is scheduled to held in the first week of January at Shimla.

ISAI president R K Gupta said that the three-day national ice skating championship would be held from January 5 to 7.

Participants from Maharashtra, Karnataka , Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Naidu, Delhi, Pondicherry and non-resident Indians (NRIs) form Muscat, Oman and USA are also expected to tkae part in it, he said.

Mr Gupta said the competition would be conducted in two disciplines, figure skating and short track speed skating.

Prior to holding the competition, the association plans to hold an coaching camp that would be conducted by top coaches of the world, who are being deputed for the job by the Switzerland based International Skating Union (ISU), he said.

Yves Nadeau, one of the world's best ice-skating coaches along with Istvan Darazs, would conduct the coaching camp from December 23 to January three at Shimla.

He said though the coaching camp was for Indian nationals, but sport enthusiasts from Kazakhstan are also expected to participate.

At the persuasion of the association, summer ice-skating has been included as part of conducting the national games in the country, he said.

He said for conducting the sport a rink, which costs about Rs 25 crore, would have to be constructed and would help to promote the sport.

The national championship would be held at the country oldest Ice Skating Club, said Bhavnesh Banga, secretary Shimla Ice Skating Club.

Besides Shimla, there were only four other ice-skating rinks in the country, of which two were in Leh and one each in Kargil and Gulmarg.

They were all outdoor rinks and the country does not have a regularly functioning indoor rink so far, he added.

UNI