Hockey in a pool

An extreme sport is rising to the surface this summer: underwater hockey.

People with simple diving equipment hold hockey sticks, chase the puck and shoot at goal.

They surface only when they need to breathe. Underwater hockey requires strong physical and mental stamina due to the need for holding one's breath for extended periods of time.

The first China Cup Underwater Hockey Championship was held in Beijing on May 9 and 10, with teams from six cities around the country participating. The Beijing team won the championship.

American sportsman Nathon Norberg, from Seattle Underwater Hockey Team, brought the sport to China and has established his own team in Beijing. He says it once seemed an untouchable dream to build an underwater hockey team in China, but he believes it has gained popularity in the past year.

The British invented underwater hockey in the 1950s to keep their divers fit, and to improve their ability to move and work efficiently underwater. The sport requires swimming and diving skills. Players have to be physically strong, fast and flexible, and mentally agile. Since everything happens under the water, it has few spectators and remains a minority sport.

(China Daily European Weekly 05/22/2015 page4)