Leh: The Ladakh Scouts, a specialised mountain infantry regiment of the Indian Army, are setting new benchmarks by channelling their hard-earned experience in extreme terrain into medal-winning performances at the Khelo India Winter Games.
As India celebrates its 77th Republic Day, the Indian Army, represented by the Ladakh Scouts here, stands out for its exemplary performances in events such as ice hockey and ice skating, competing for top honours at the annual meet.
They will face surprise entrants Chandigarh in the men’s ice hockey final on Monday, but beyond the title clash, it is their desire to popularise the sport across the country — taking it beyond the icy, mountainous confines of Leh to the plains and even the coasts — that remains firmly in focus.
While no records are available to accurately pinpoint when the Ladakh Scouts began playing ice hockey in the late 1970s, one thing is certain — they started with no proper playing surface or equipment, taking up the sport purely for the joy of it.
It was in the late 1980s that they began to take the sport more seriously, creating natural ice rinks and importing expensive equipment costing several lakhs of rupees. In 2000, the Ladakh Scouts were raised as a full-fledged infantry regiment, a development that further intensified their commitment to ice hockey and structured training.
Captain Parth Jagtap, a member of the Army team competing at the 2026 Khelo India Winter Games here, said initiatives like those undertaken by the Ladakh Scouts need to be replicated more widely to help spread ice hockey across the country.
At present, India has just two Olympic-size artificial ice rinks — one in Dehradun and the other in Leh, at the indoor Nawang Dorjay Stobdan Stadium.
“To make ice hockey a popular sport, we need more such rinks all over the country. For now, the sport is largely confined to Leh. We need to spread the sport to the other corners of the country and that’s only how we can help the sport grow,” he said.
Captain Jagtap also hailed Khelo India’s efforts over the years..
“The involvement of Khelo India has helped in many ways. There is much more awareness about ice hockey… also, the awareness about what needs to be done to truly make it a popular sport in the country,” he said.
Building ice hockey infrastructure is an expensive proposition. Even a basic ice rink can cost Rs 15 crore or more, while an indoor stadium with a seating capacity of around 5,000 can require an investment of Rs 40–50 crore. These are significant sums and call for strong corporate backing. Once major corporate houses step in, the ice hockey landscape in India could change dramatically, allowing the sport to grow well beyond Leh.
Ladakh Scouts have reportedly floated the idea of involving corporate houses in the sport’s development. Their commitment to ice hockey was evident last year when they provided last-minute funding to the national women’s team, which went on to win its maiden bronze medal at the IIHF Women’s Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
These are clear-cut indications, Ladakh Scouts, nicknamed Snow Leopards or Snow Warriors, mean business. They are hopeful that their sustained efforts will help make India a recognisable presence on the global ice hockey landscape.
