NEW DELHI: Indian ice hockey athletes can finally heave a sigh of relief. A week after the TOI reported that their participation in the forthcoming Asian Winter Games in China's Herbin had run into trouble, the sports ministry on Friday sanctioned a 23-member contingent for the Feb 7-14 multisport event following the Indian Olympic Association's (IOA) intervention.
The ice hockey contingent will travel at 'no cost to govt'. It's been learnt that IOA has stepped forward to bear their expenses for the journey and has instructed the Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI) – which it recognises as a national sports federation (NSF) – to ensure that "the team must arrive at the venue at the designated dates".
