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FILE PHOTO: The Kenyan national ice hockey team take a group photo after a friendly tournament against the Chicago Cheetah team from the US at the Panari Ice Skating Rink in Nairobi, Kenya January 7, 2023. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi
KIKUYU, Kenya – Kenya has only one skating rink and no coaches, but that hasn’t stopped 28-year-old Benjamin Mburu from following his dream of ice hockey glory.
His team, the Kenya Ice Lions, honed their skills at Nairobi’s Panari Hotel.
When they can’t get in there, they take to the roof-up and exercise on roller-blades to make up for the lack of “ice time”.
As the only side in the country, they usually organize games between themselves.
“One day some friends invited me to play ice hockey and that was the start of this wonderful journey,” said Mburu, an architect, from his hometown of Kikuyu, 20 km (12 miles) northwest of Nairobi.
Eventually, Mburu expects Kenya to join the International Ice Hockey Federation.
The Ice Lions have played friendly matches against teams from the United States and Canada.
They watch online tutorials and get lessons from volunteer expat trainers. They are hungry for success, head coach Tim Colby said.
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