Ice Hockey U18 Asia and Oceania Championship is held in Mongolia for the first time in Mongolia between March 11 and March 17, 2023 at Steppe Arena, Ulaanbaatar. In 2019, Mongolia opened its first international standard “Steppe Arena” winter sport house, which made it possible to organize international competitions.

The opening of the tournament was attended by the President of the Mongolian Ice Hockey Federation B.Javkhlan, the Minister of Environment and Tourism B.Bat-Erdene, Vice President of the Hockey Federation and Advisor of the International Hockey Federation A.Mergen and Vice President of the International Ice Hockey Federation Aivaz Omorkanov, and other officials.

The best teams from Mongolia, United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Iran, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan are taking part in the junior competition and athletes aged 15 to 18 are participating in the U18 Hockey Tournament. Teams are playing in a round-robin, and each team will play five games to determine the champion.

During the opening ceremony, Vice President of the International Ice Hockey Federation Aivaz Omorkanov said, “This tournament, which is being held in Mongolia, has brought new achievements to Mongolian hockey players and enthusiasts.”

On top of that, the President of the Mongolian Hockey Federation and Minister of Finance B.Javkhlan said, “Welcome to the beautiful country of Mongolia. For the first time in the 60-year history of ice hockey, Mongolia is hosting the Under-18 Asian Championship and the 4th Division Hockey World Cup in its home country, which is a significant event in the history of Mongolian ice hockey. I wish success to the athletes and coaches of all countries participating in the competition.”

A.Mergen is the head coach of the Mongolian national team, and N.Mishigsuren and J.Bayarsaikhan are assistant coaches. In the first match on March 11, the Mongolian team won the Iranian team with a score of 5:0.