Chen Siqi

vankochensq@163.com

A TOTAL of 19 athletes from the Shenzhen Kunlun Red Star women’s ice hockey team are gearing up for China’s first professional women’s ice hockey league, scheduled to commence this Saturday in the city of Qiqihar in Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province.

A departure ceremony was held yesterday to boost the players’ morale ahead of the competition at the Shenzhen Kunlun Red Star ice hockey club in Longgang District.

A total of 185 players representing seven teams from Beijing, Hebei, Shanghai, Sichuan, Shenzhen, Harbin, and Qiqihar will take part in the 2023-2024 China Women’s Ice Hockey Professional League. Over the next two months, they will compete in 75 thrilling games in Qiqihar, Harbin, and Shenzhen, with the final competitions scheduled for January next year in Beijing.

Ivo Mocek, the new head coach of Shenzhen’s team hailing from the Czech Republic, is confident in the potential of Shenzhen’s women’s hockey team. “I came here to win. Our ultimate goal is the championship,” Mocek said. “I believe we’re ready for our first game Saturday. We’ve had some very good practices and at a fast pace.”

Mocek, a former professional ice hockey player with experience in Canada, the Czech Republic, England and the U.S., recognized the unusual presence of a strong team in South China, drawing parallels with examples in North America, such as Florida. “Hockey is really a global sport, now that any team and any city can excel and produce exceptional players,” he added.

Shenzhen made history in Chinese sports as the first city in South China to host a top-level international ice hockey tournament earlier this year. Over the past few years, the city has witnessed remarkable progress in ice and snow sports.

“Many children in Shenzhen have actively engaged in and learnt ice hockey,” Yu Baiwei, the team leader, said. “Through these competitions, we hope to inspire our fans by showing our improvements. We hope these youngsters can learn from our experiences during the games.”