MEETING WITH THE ICE HOCKEY TEAM OF MONGOLIA, WINNER OF THE CHALLENGE CUP OF ASIA TOURNAMENT
On March 12th, President of Mongolia Khaltmaagiin Battulga received the members of Mongolian ice hockey team which won a gold medal at the 2019 International Ice Hockey Federation Challenge Cup of Asia tournament.
After congratulating the team, President Battulga remarked, “…Your second consecutive win at the Challenge Cup of Asia is a result of immense efforts and dedication. It is an astonishing achievement that Mongolians have been succeeding and solidifying their success in team sports like 3×3 basketball, ice hockey, and football. I believe you remember my promise from last year to pay close attention to the matter of building an ice stadium to help you solidify your accomplishment. After negotiations with a number of countries, including the Czech Republic and Canada, the Steppe Arena indoor ice rink is currently underway with USD 15 million in budget. The land and infrastructure-related issues have been resolved, so the construction work shall commence next month. This is also part of our preparations to host the Children of Asia Games in Mongolia in 2020.
Furthermore, we will build an athletes’ lodge and a sports complex. Aside from this, the construction work of a field for football and athletics with seating capacity of 10 thousand will start next month. All of these facilities will remain in Mongolia and at the disposal of the young people. Therefore, it must be considered an educational work. Sport education instills the spirit of patriotism and stamina in the young people and will help them understand life and overcome hardships. I am sure the corresponding ministry will support this work.
It seems that your team is a temporary team of selected athletes. The lack of a permanent team will have negative impact on the consistency of your success. I hope that there will be more teams and the stadium is built according to the plan.”
