Sun Life sponsors hockey in the Himalayas

As a Canadian company with operations in India, including a partnership with the Aditya V. Birla Group of India (Birla Sun Life), the firm’s executives felt it was evident that sponsoring this type of event was a natural fit.

“When we heard about the work to grow the game of hockey and get people involved in a healthy, fun activity, we were immediately interested in lending our support,” says Paul Joliat, assistant vice president of philanthropy and sponsorship.

In partnership with The Hockey Foundation and the Ice Hockey Association of India, Sun Life (TSX:SLF) has donated $20,000 to offer youth hockey camps at no cost that will be instructed by three certified coaches. The coaches have been flown to India to put on instruction clinics in Leh, Mumbai and Delhi throughout February.

Sun Life Financial also provided the jerseys for a shinny-style tournament that saw people from Asia and India travel high up into the Himalayas to play hockey in a unique location. Tournament attendees included diplomats from several countries, business people from Asia and local hockey enthusiasts.

“You can’t beat the location because it’s so beautiful and playing outdoors is where hockey first started,” says Paul Joliat, assistant vice president of philanthropy and sponsorship at Sun Life. “We are thrilled to help grow the game in India, much like the same way it happened in Canada — on lakes, ponds, and in backyards.”

Hockey in the foothills of the Himalayas has grown to become an annual sporting pilgrimage, attracting the interest of teams and players from throughout the world. The growing popularity of the sport in India has drawn its support from The Hockey Foundation, which was started by Adam Sherlip and is meant to share the character-building traits of the sport with youth throughout the world.