Young hockey players including members of Kyrgyzstan's first female hockey team prepare in a dressing room before a training session in the village of Otradnoye, Kyrgyzstan on February 4, 2020. Starting from nothing around three years ago, the team had to manage with whatever equipment they had and injuries were not uncommon. However, news of the team reached as far as Switzerland, resulting in hockey pad donations from the Kyrgyz community living there. (Photo by Vladimir Pirogov/Reuters)





A member of Kyrgyzstan's first female hockey team arrives for a training session in the village of Otradnoye, Kyrgyzstan on February 4, 2020. Based in the remote village of Otradnoe, 249 miles (400 kilometres) east of the country's capital Bishkek, the team comprises of around 15 girls from a local school and uses a flooded allotment to train on during the winter months. (Photo by Vladimir Pirogov/Reuters)





Members of Kyrgyzstan's first female hockey team prepare in a dressing room before a training session in the village of Otradnoye, Kyrgyzstan on February 4, 2020. As the only female hockey team in the country, the group hone their skills and train with male hockey teams. Despite not everyone in the village initially approving of women playing hockey, especially their worried parents, the team is now a firm fixture in the community. (Photo by Vladimir Pirogov/Reuters)





Members of Kyrgyzstan's first female hockey team come out of a dressing room before a training session in the village of Otradnoye, Kyrgyzstan on February 4, 2020. (Photo by Vladimir Pirogov/Reuters)





Members of Kyrgyzstan's first female hockey team clean the ice during a training session in the village of Otradnoye, Kyrgyzstan on February 4, 2020. (Photo by Vladimir Pirogov/Reuters)





Young hockey players are seen in action during a training match between Kyrgyzstan's first female hockey team and the male team of the Karakol lyceum, in the village of Otradnoye, Kyrgyzstan on February 4, 2020. (Photo by Vladimir Pirogov/Reuters)





A young hockey player practices his putting during a training session in the village of Otradnoye, Kyrgyzstan on February 4, 2020. (Photo by Vladimir Pirogov/Reuters)





Coach Salamat Abdyrakhmanov and members of Kyrgyzstan's first female hockey team attend a training session in the village of Otradnoye, Kyrgyzstan on February 4, 2020. (Photo by Vladimir Pirogov/Reuters)





Young hockey players and local residents watch a training match between Kyrgyzstan's first female hockey team and the male team of the Karakol lyceum, in the village of Otradnoye, Kyrgyzstan on February 4, 2020. (Photo by Vladimir Pirogov/Reuters)





Members of Kyrgyzstan's first female hockey team are seen during a training session in the village of Otradnoye, Kyrgyzstan on February 4, 2020. (Photo by Vladimir Pirogov/Reuters)





Young hockey players are seen in action during a training match between Kyrgyzstan's first female hockey team and the male team of the Karakol lyceum, in the village of Otradnoye, Kyrgyzstan on February 4, 2020. (Photo by Vladimir Pirogov/Reuters)





A local resident watches as members of Kyrgyzstan's first female hockey team come out from the dressing room before a training session in the village of Otradnoye, Kyrgyzstan on February 4, 2020. (Photo by Vladimir Pirogov/Reuters)





Supporters of Kyrgyzstan's first female hockey team cheer during a training match in the village of Otradnoye, Kyrgyzstan on February 4, 2020. (Photo by Vladimir Pirogov/Reuters)