A few dozen metres from Nairobi National Park, where lions and gazelles, rhinos and giraffes run free, in the heart of a metropolis and of Africa, stands the only ice skating rink in all of East and Central Africa. Here, for the past 10 years, something has been happening in the evenings that you would never expect to see at the Equator. In unnaturally cold temperatures, powered by powerful compressors, wearing uniforms that are neither those of rangers nor Masai shields and spears, the ‘Ice Lions’ of Kenya, the only ice hockey team in most of the continent, train with a unique and incredible passion, at these latitudes.

Their story is the result of a journey that began with a bet between a few young Kenyans who, over time, involved about forty followers and who, last October, managed to register the fifth federation of this sport (the other 4 are in North Africa and South Africa) with the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and to be recognised worldwide.

Robert Opiyo, one of the founders of Ice Lions and president of the Kenyan Ice Hockey Federation, told the Italians in Kenya portal their story.

‘It all began after a study holiday of mine in Malaysia,’ Opiyo reveals, ’where I learnt to ice skate on a real rink. Back in Nairobi, where I live and work in marketing, I discovered that inside the Panari Hotel, right in front of the national park, there was the only skating rink in most of the continent. After a while, however, I realised that skating around in circles was getting a bit boring and with some friends I decided that we could try playing hockey.

In Africa, it's never easy to put words into action. But Nairobi is a cosmopolitan city that hosts many expats, including Americans, Canadians, Scandinavians and other fans of skates and sticks. So, little by little, the first enthusiasts started training with them, renting the skating rink in the evening, adding two goals and looking for help and donations to buy equipment.

‘That's how Ice Lions was born,’ says Opiyo, “taking its name from the most representative animals in the nearby park. By training with the expats we managed to reach a decent level, attracting attention not only in Kenya. The turning point came when we were invited to play in Canada and from there a documentary was also made, which made us known internationally”.

With the help of some sponsors, such as Ali Baba and Tim Hortons, some players were invited to training courses and tournaments in South Africa and Japan and with the indispensable donations, the lions began to train regularly, involving many young people.

‘Our goal is to create a real movement where it seems impossible to involve so many people,’ explains the president of the federation. “There are many challenges, each of us has his or her own job and comes from different experiences. To train, we still have to find the money to rent the rink which, thanks to this hotel and the owners” availability, has become our home. The rink is small, it would be for 3-on-3 hockey, but we adapt, also because we have to thank heaven that it exists, since we would have no alternative and indeed, the Leoni without the Panari would never have been born. But in order to survive, we are always looking for sponsorships and donations, they are essential, also to teach this sport to young people, which is a way to get them off the street and introduce them to a healthy, clean sport, made of pure and simple passion’.

Every week, on Wednesdays, the Kenyan enthusiasts, including a woman, Caro, train together with some expats who work in Kenya. On Thursdays there are matches, we have now two teams: Ice Lions Pride and Ice Lions Frozen Flames. ‘We are ready for the first Kenyan Ice Hockey Championship,’ Robert says proudly. But there's another dream the Ice Lions want to make come true: to participate in the Olympics wearing the Kenyan uniform.

‘We're working towards this goal,’ explains the team captain and coach, Benjamin Mburu, “by creating the Lions of the future and laying the foundations to make the dream of the Olympics come true”.

And Caro, for her part, is trying to form the first women's team in an entire African region, the Lionesses. ‘There was a period when there were 7 of us’, the player reveals, ‘then some left because they have family to raise, for others it's difficult to combine their passion with everyday life. But we'll make it’. Meanwhile, fully equipped but with a flamboyant pink uniform, she trains and fights against her male opponents, strong and icy like a real feline.