In the last and most exciting game of the tournament, the Bahrain national team lost in overtime (3:4) to  Macau.

The hockey tournament of the Asian Winter Games 2025 in Harbin has become a difficult experience for the Bahrain men’s national team, which finished it last. However, it was a big step forward for the Bahrain’s hockey. 

“Fatigue is the main reason we lost the game. It was a tough lesson for us, but we will not give up until we make a comeback. We’re going to go back and start afresh. We’re going to focus on the younger generation, and, hopefully, perform better at the next Asian Winter Games in 2029,” said the team’s head coach, Tamer Fuad Hasan Khalaf Fakhroo 

What should we know about the history of ice hockey in Bahrain?

The Bahrain Ice Hockey Federation was formed in 2009, yet the roots of the game in this country stretch back to the early 1990s. During that time, a coalition of expatriates and Bahraini players collaborated to introduce and promote ice hockey within the local community. 

A group of dedicated amateurs take time out from their day jobs to practice on the country’s only ice rink — measuring just 30 meters by 15 — at the Funland bowling and ice skating center in the capital, Manama.

Every week, they make a five-hour journey to neighboring Kuwait to play in a five-on-five league.

With an annual budget of $5,000, the Bahrain Ice Hockey Federation has to cut costs and carefully allocate funds for the development of young players. As a result, team members often pay for their participation in tournaments and also cover the costs of the venue and equipment out of pocket. 

The team holds weekly free public classes at the ice rink to encourage more people to participate in this unusual sport.

As we reported in 2023, it is planned to build a full-size hockey rink in Bahrain in the near future. This should be the biggest step towards the development of hockey in Bahrain.