Kyrgyzstan
| Kyrgyzstan | |
 | |
| Continent | Asia |
| Population | 5,362,800 |
| Registered players | 320 |
| Referees | 6 |
| Rinks | 6 |
| National teams | Men's |
| National federation | Ice Hockey Federation of the Kyrgyz Republic. |
| IIHF since | May 14, 2011 |
| IIHF ranking | N/A |
| Top league | Kyrgyzstan Championship |
Kyrgyzstan is a country located in Central Asia. Bishkek is the capital and largest city. Kyrgyzstan was part of the Soviet Union until 1991.
Overview
National Teams
Men's · Men's-U20 · Men's-U18 · Women's · Women's-U18
Domestic Teams
See Category:Ice hockey teams in Kyrgyzstan
Arenas
See Category:Arenas in Kyrgyzstan
Competitions
| Competition | Founded | Folded | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kyrgyzstan Championship | 2009 | - | National competition |
History of hockey in Kyrgyzstan
The Ice Hockey Federation of the Kyrgyz Republic is the governing body of ice hockey in the country. Kyrgyzstan joined the IIHF on May 14, 2011.[1]
In 2006, there was a competition in existence in the village of Naryn, known as the Naryn Hockey League. One of the league's founders, Nurlan Matyyev, was quoted as saying "This is our own NHL -- the Naryn Hockey League. The only difference to the NHL in Canada is that we use a natural lake instead of a rink and that we haven't got as much money."
Numerous tournaments were held in Kyrgyzstan prior to the establishment of the Kyrgyzstan Championship in 2010. In 2008, a tournament was staged in Cholpon-Ata to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the IIHF's foundation.
Presently, there are three ice rinks in the capital of Bishkek, one of which features an international size ice sheet (60 x 30 metres) and 900 seats, and many other natural ice rinks throughout the mountainous country.
Hockey was first played in Kyrgyzstan in the late 1950s, and the Kyrgyz National Team, representing the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic, made its debut at the 1962 Soviet Winter Spartakiad, held in Sverdlovsk. The team participated in eight games, notching two wins over the Armenian SSR.
Bandy was also popular, with the Kirghiz SSR Bandy Championship being held 31 times from 1959-1992 (the 1970 edition was cancelled due to thaw). Four teams participated in the first championship, which was held in Przhevalsk (Karakol). Three from Frunze (Bishkek): Institute of Physical Culture and Sports, the Lenin and Frunze factories, and Spartak from Przhevalsk. In 1962, the team of the vacuum electric plant "Elektrik" appeared in Frunze, which became the champion of Kyrgyzstan 20 times. They finished third place in their first championship appearance, and won the following year. Teams also appeared in Ak-Tyuz and Naryn over time.
In addition to the republic championship, the Frunze Championship in bandy was held, which was cancelled in 1969. In 1989, Kyrgyz bandy players took part in the USSR championship among teams representing republics where this sport was not very developed. Their opponents the Ukrainian and Belarusian SSRs. In 1992, the last championship of the republic took place Three teams took part in it: Ak-Tyuz, Karakol and Bishkek's Elektrik, which won the title. Bandy would be revived in the early 2000s, and the Bandy Federation of Kyrgyzstan joined the International Bandy Federation in 2004. In 2011, the Kyrgyzstan national bandy team competed at the Asian Winter Games.[2]
After independence, Kyrgyzstan returned to the international scene to play in the 2011 Asian Winter Games Premier Division.[3] They won the Premier Division after winning all six of their games by a combined score of 95-23. This excellent debut helped bolster interest in the sport in the country. Bishkek hosted the 2014 IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia – Division I, in which Kyrgyzstan finished second.
