The Ice Lions of Kenya celebrate their maiden title victory in the capital city of Nairobi, where their skaters scatter ice chips as they scream off East Africa’s sole ice rink.
A national federation was not formed until 2019; however, ice hockey did arrive in Kenya in 2006 after a group of bored Canadians put up the Nairobi rink.
Last week, Kenya’s red-and-black-clad national team played against a group of amateurs from colder countries on the rink and won their first friendly league championship.
Months prior, the Ice Lions, who were only the fifth African team to be inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation, had won another championship.
According to team captain Benjamin Mburu, this was a “huge step” in the right direction towards the Olympics.
“It shows us that we are doing the right thing, and we are going to get where we want to go,” he said to AFP.
Mburu started playing the “addictive” game nine years ago and soon got completely enamoured with it.
“When you’re on the ice, it’s like being in a completely different world,” he explained.
As the sport has gained popularity among Kenyans, the 30-year-old architect has witnessed an increasing number of spectators crammed onto the rink.
“You can see the kids wanting it; you can see the hunger in them.”
However, unadulterated passion cannot get past every obstacle. The expensive expense of training is one consideration, aside from the energy required to cool a rink close to the equator, where temperatures remain quite warm throughout the year.
The team trains on the rink twice a week, and a session costs 12,000 Kenyan shillings ($92).
The team cannot play five-a-side, as they do at the highest level, because the Nairobi facility is only a fifth the size of an Olympic ice rink. Instead, they must play three versus three with a goalie.
Nonetheless, Canadian coach Tim Colby told AFP that the team’s tenacity astounded him.
“They don’t take anything for granted,” he declared. “They’re very, very dedicated players.”
In the past, players switched between pads, sticks, and skates until money from contributions allowed them to compete.
The coach and squad, however, continue to play and train in their free time without receiving anything.
The admission fee of $10 may be prohibitive for many children who want to skate on the ice.
Daily, some Ice Lions go to a parking lot in the city’s business district to demonstrate how to run kids through concrete.
The youngsters were outperforming some Canadians, even on roller skates, Colby noted.
The team hopes to visit South Africa in June, contingent on funding, which will be their next major test. Teams from Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and Egypt will face them in the inaugural African Nations Cup of Ice Hockey.
One day, Kenyan ice hockey players will compete in the Olympics, Colby stressed.
“This isn’t a flash in the pan,” he went on.
Currently the lone female member of the team, 28-year-old Carol Joseph, concurs.
She stated that the team’s support was crucial, saying, “You never give up.”
