New Delhi, Mar 20 (IANS): The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has won the 11th National Ice Hockey Championship organised at Kaza in Himachal Pradesh, the force officials said here on Sunday.

In the final, the ITBP team defeated Indian Army 3-1.

"The central ice hockey team of the ITBP representing All India Police Sports Control Board (AIPSB) won the 11th edition of the Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI) National Ice Hockey Championship for men - 2022 organised in Kaza, Himachal Pradesh," the ITBP said in a statement.

The officials also said that five top teams of the country, including AIPSB (ITBP), Ladakh, Army Sports Control Board (LSRC), Delhi and Himachal Pradesh participated in the tournament.

This tournament began on March 14.

Ice hockey is a sport that is slowly gaining popularity in India and is played mostly in places like Ladakh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

Ice hockey enthusiasts from other places in the country, as well as tourists, head to places like Ladakh for the experience of playing in some of the highest-altitude rinks in the world. There are a few artificial indoor ice skating rinks in the rest of the country, such as the Doon Ice Rink in Dehradun where ice hockey can be played on an international-sized rink.

Ice hockey was part of the 2020 Khelo India Winter Games in Gulmarg.

ITBP is a pioneer in adventure sports in the country and has an unparalleled record of mountaineering and allied sports.