With a major international tournament approaching – and the lack of government or private sponsorship – the Indian Ice Hockey team took to a crowdfunding website for donations to take part in the Asia division of the International Ice Hockey Federation Challenge Cup in Kuwait.
To their shock, the team raised Rs 12 lakh in just six days. This includes the more than Rs 4.5 lakh they raised from the crowdfunding site bitgiving.com.
Akshay Kumar, the director of ICE Hockey Association of India said he was overwhelmed by the response.
I was as surprised as anyone else. We have been trying to get funds for a long time but we have never had such a swift response.
– Akshay Kumar
Among the main contributors, Anand Mahindra, Chairman and Managing Director of the Mahindra Group donated Rs 5 lakh to the team, a Dubai-based Indian-origin businessman donated Rs 7 lakh and a Chennai-based real estate firm South India Shelters also contributed Rs 2 lakh.
The management has also been approached by the Gautam Gambhir Foundation and has landed a sponsorship deal with Micromax India, who have agreed to sponsor the team’s jersey.
Here’s a list of those who contributed money on the crowdfunding site.
The team is set for now. But there is a need for better facilities.
The team also only gets to practice for two months a year in Ladakh as – January and December, otherwise there are no provisions for the players to prepare for major tournaments. However, with the incoming financial support due to this campaign, we intend to put it to good use.
– Akshay Kumar
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