Three Turkmenistan ice hockey players penalized for fighting at Asian Winter Games

HARBIN, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- Three Turkmenistan players were penalized for fighting following their men's ice hockey Group C match against Hong Kong, China at the 2025 Harbin Asian Winter Games on Sunday.

The Hong Kong, China team secured a 5-1 victory over Turkmenistan, but during the post-match handshake, several Hong Kong players were knocked down to the ground by the Turkmenistan players. The conflict lasted about one minute.

Referees gave "5-minute major + 20-minute game misconduct" penalties to Turkmenistan players Erkin Kakabayev, Arslan Geldimyradov and Begench Dovletmyradov.

According to the rules of the sport's governing body, the International Ice Hockey Federation, the three Turkmenistan players may face further penalty. ■