Gulf Ice Hockey Championship
Current season, competition or edition: 2016 Gulf Ice Hockey Championship | |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2010 |
| No. of teams | 4 |
| Most recent champion(s) |
 United Arab Emirates |
The Gulf Ice Hockey Championship, also known as the GCC Gulf Ice Hockey Championships, is an international ice hockey competition involving countries from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. The inaugural tournament took place on the May 25 to May 30 in Kuwait City, Kuwait and was organised by the Kuwait Ice Hockey Association. The championship has featured teams six different countries since its formation and currently consists of Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The United Arab Emirates has won all four editions of the championship, while Kuwait has finished second on three occasions and Qatar on one.
History
The Gulf Ice Hockey Championship was first held in 2010 in Kuwait City, Kuwait. The tournament was organised by the Kuwait Ice Hockey Association and involved four teams from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.[1] Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates participated in the inaugural tournament with the United Arab Emirates going on to win the tournament.[2] After showing interest for hosting a 2011 competition the United Arab Emirates held the second Gulf Ice Hockey Championship in 2012 in Abu Dhabi.[3][4] Saudi Arabia did not enter the competition, however Bahrain joined to keep the tournament at four teams. The United Arab Emirates successfully defended their title after winning the gold medal game against Kuwait.[4] The 2014 edition of the tournament saw Bahrain drop out of the tournament and were replaced by Qatar. The United Arab won the competition for the third time after defeating 5–0 in the final while Qatar beat Oman to win bronze.[5] In 2016 the tournament was hosted by Qatar for the first time with all four teams from the 2014 edition returning.[6] Qatar made their first final appearance after defeating Kuwait in the semifinal however lost to the United Arab Emirates in the final, giving the United Arab Emirates their fourth title.[7][8]
Results
| Year | Host |  Gold |
 Silver |
 Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 Details |  Kuwait City | United Arab Emirates | Kuwait |  Saudi Arabia |
| 2012 Details | Abu Dhabi | United Arab Emirates | Kuwait |  Oman |
| 2014 Details | Kuwait City | United Arab Emirates | Kuwait |  Qatar |
| 2016 Details | Doha | United Arab Emirates | Qatar | Kuwait |
References
- ↑ "Gulf sport officials praise Gulf ice hockey championship held in Kuwait". Kuwait News Agency. Archived from the original on 2012-06-03. Retrieved 2010-05-28.
- ↑ Merk, Martin (2010-06-08). "UAE wins Gulf Championship". International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original on 2010-06-09. Retrieved 2010-06-09.
- ↑ "Four GCC states to partake in 1st Gulf Ice-Hockey Championship". Kuwait News Agency. Archived from the original on 2012-03-06. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- 1 2 "2012 GCC Gulf Ice Hockey Championships". National Teams of Ice Hockey. Archived from the original on 2012-06-03. Retrieved 2012-06-03.
- ↑ 3rd Gulf Cup Ice Hockey Championship. nationalteamsoficehockey.com
- ↑ "Stage set for GCC Icy Hockey Championship 2016". Qatar Winter Sports Committee. 2016-01-28. Archived from the original on 2016-02-04. Retrieved 2016-02-04.
- ↑ Ellis, Steven (2016-02-01). "Qatar Advances to First Ever Ice Hockey Final, Will Face UAE for Gulf Cup Gold". The Hockey House. Archived from the original on 2016-02-04. Retrieved 2016-02-04.
- ↑ Ellis, Steven (2016-02-01). "United Arab Emirates Beats Qatar to Win Fourth Straight Gulf Cup". The Hockey House. Archived from the original on 2012-06-03. Retrieved 2016-02-04.