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By Hong Duy  February 10, 2025 | 08:33 pm PT
The Hong Kong men's ice hockey team was attacked by their opponent Turkmenistan after a 5-1 victory at the 2025 Asian Winter Games.
The match, held on Feb. 9 at the Harbin Ice Hockey Arena in China, was highly physical from the start, with frequent fouls including elbowing, pushing and tripping. The tension culminated during the post-game handshake, when a Turkmenistan player struck a Hong Kong player, knocking him down, and another Turkmenistan player followed up with punches. The referee initially considered skipping the handshake after the game but ultimately decided to keep it, which led to the incident.
According to the South China Morning Post, the three Turkmenistan players who threw hands were Erkin Kakabayev, Arslan Geldimyradov and Begench Dovletmyradov.
In a statement, the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong (SF&OC) "strongly condemned" the attack, reporting that three Hong Kong players sustained injuries. One player suffered a neck injury, another required two stitches for a hand wound and received a tetanus shot before being discharged from the hospital, and the third player suffered minor injuries.
A footage shows a Turkmenistan player punching a Hong Kong player in the face after the Asian Winter Games ice hockey match on Feb. 9, 2025.
The head of Hong Kong delegation for this Asian Winter Games, Ho Kit-fung, contacted both the International Ice Hockey Federation and the Olympic Council of Asia to demand disciplinary measures against the Turkmenistan team. He also called for the suspension of the Turkmenistan squad from future competitions.
Despite the provocations and dangerous fouls from their opponents, none of Hong Kong's players retaliated. SF&OC praised their athletes for maintaining composure and upholding the Olympic spirit.
With the win, Hong Kong topped group C and advanced to the quarterfinals to face Kyrgyzstan and lost 5-6 in overtime. Turkmenistan finished second in the group and was eliminated.
The 2025 Asian Winter Games, held from Feb. 3–14 in Harbin, Heilongjiang, marks the second time the city has hosted the event and the third time for China. The games feature 34 teams across 11 sports, with a record 1,275 athletes (755 men and 520 women) participating.
As of Feb. 10, host nation China led the medal tally with 21 golds, 18 silvers and 15 bronzes. South Korea followed with 11 golds, 10 silvers and 9 bronzes, while Japan stood third with 4 golds, 4 silvers and 9 bronzes.
