Hockey coach George Kingston to train aspiring sledge hockey players

“Being around winners who have challenging life journeys is inspirational!”

A group of Slovakian ice sledge hockey players will get the opportunity of a lifetime from Thursday (14 January), as world renowned coach George Kingston travels to the city of Dolny Kubin to give them four days of training and education.

Kingston, who famously coached the Canadian men's national ice hockey team to their first gold medal in 33 years at the 1994 World Championships, is supporting an IPC Ice Sledge Hockey initiative to bring more young players into the game.

A group of aspiring athletes will gather for training both on and off the ice to master elements such as stick-handling and manoeuvring in a sledge, as well as improving physical fitness through strength and conditioning training.

“The Dolny Kubin Camp is designed for para-athletes to have fun, improve their skills and enjoy playing the greatest game that man has invented – hockey,” Kingston said.

“Everyone who pursues the different Paralympic sports disciplines is a winner and I enjoy seeing athletes enjoying the sport I love to play and coach.

“Being around winners who have challenging life journeys is inspirational!”

Kingston will be joined by Thomas Koester, Head of Development on IPC Ice Sledge Hockey’s Sport Technical Committee, at Dolny Kubin’s ice hockey stadium. Koester will work with the Slovakian Paralympic Committee, who are responsible for ice sledge hockey in the country, on how they can recruit more players and raise awareness of the sport.

Coaches from the Slovakian national team will also be involved.

The event forms part of a wider IPC Ice Sledge Hockey outreach project to develop the sport around the world. The aim is to strengthen national team programmes which in turn will increase the competitiveness of the game around the world.

The sport plans to support countries to recruit and train the next generation of players through dedicated training camps, increasing the pool and quality of athletes, and growing the profile of ice sledge hockey nationally.

The project has been made possible by support received through the development arm of the International Paralympic Committee, the Agitos Foundation. IPC Ice Sledge Hockey successfully applied for funding through the Foundation’s 2015 Grant Support Programme.

More information about the Agitos Foundation and Grant Support Programme is available at Agitos Foundation's website.