It can hardly get more exotic than floorball in Inner Mongolia!
Inner Mongolia is one of the least accessible places for Europeans in Asia. 'Inner Mongolia' is a place used in Donald Duck stories if you need to go REALLY far away.
It is one of the power centers in China when it comes to floorball. Over the two last years regional teams in China have challenged each other. We have been the only foreigners allowed to enter.
We are proud to be back based on a personal invitation from the Chinese Floorball Association. We have proved to be excellent role models and a relevant challenge from a sport perspective. The personal invitations will also help in the Visa-process.
Get ready to expand your horizon when we are going back to Inner Mongolia; Floorball, Desert floorball, Camel riding, bullet trains, local culture, new friendships and increased cultural understanding.
A week packed with floorball and experiences
Please be advised that the time schedule and content for sure will be adjusted! ✨
When we're creating floorball magic on the other side of the world 🌍, a lot of things will change before and during the journey! 🚀🏑
Departure and Arrival in China
Departure from Oslo/Stockholm/another city to Beijing or Hohhot (Inner Mongolia). Transport to hotel and dinner. It's possible to arrive earlier in Beijing or Shanghai before travelling to Inner Mongolia. We need to be in Hohhot on the 28th, so latest travel from Europe is on 27th
Transport to Hohhot (Inner Mongolia)
High-speed bullet train - transport from Beijing or Shanghai. At a later date can be arranged, if you want to explore more.
Tournament Opening Ceremony in Inner Mongolia
Opening dinner/banquet with fireworks, dance, music, formalities and entertainment. A floorball tournament opening like you've NEVER experienced before! Including entrance march with flag bearer.
Matches
At least 6 matches over 4 days for U18. The best Chinese regional teams + several international club teams and regional/national teams. All days can be combined with sightseeing if you want. 1 day will be completely free for matches; rest-day or for full-day sightseeing desert-floorball / spa-treatment.
Sightseeing Day
Sightseeing - possibilities include: Desert Floorball + Local distillery + Desert tribe + Traditional Chinese spa treatment and massage + Shopping + wilderness trail running with guide (3 levels). The day is a full day of sightseeing, but some of the activities can also be done on match days - as we allocate half the day for matches and half for getting to know this hidden gem of China. Some of the activities might come with an extra cost.
Closing Ceremony
Closing ceremony with fireworks, celebration, and prize giving for teams, best fairplay award, best goal and best girl/boy Most Valuable Player, handed out by representative of the Chinese Floorball Federation
Extend your stay with a night in a Mongolian Yurt?
Highly recommended! We'll be doing this ourselves. Next-level-glamping! At own expense, but not very expensive...
Transport to Beijing
High-speed bullet train - transport to Beijing. At a later date can be arranged, if you want to explore more. Also possible to fly directly from Hohhot if you are in a hurry to get back to Europe, but we recommend spending some time in Beijing or Shanghai after the tournament.
Return to Europe
Return to Europe on the day of your choice, based on how many days you want in Beijing and/or Shanghai. Extra days on own expense, but we can arrange for group tours with local guides and cheaper hotel deals
It is a "Tournament" but it is mostly about the cultural experience
Teams from the following countries are already confirmed:
- 🇳🇿 New Zealand
- 🇸🇧 Solomon Islands
- 🇮🇩 Indonesia
- 🇵🇭 Philippines
- 🇸🇬 Singapore
- 🇹🇭 Thailand
- 🇭🇰 Hong Kong
- 🇲🇴 Macau
- 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
- 🇰🇷 South Korea
- 🇨🇳 China
We have been asked to organize teams from Europe, Africa, and the US.
The main event is U18, but there will also be friendly matches for U15 and U12 and our U15 team will play against the winner of the chinese U15 tournament! The level of the teams varies greatly, from almost no floorball experience to national team players with a decent level. We adjusted our teams to match the opposition, ensuring no one felt left out at any time!
Some Asian participants have limited floorball experience, so we also allowed participating "family members" of players to join some matches. If there is interest among parents, we will set up a few "accompanying parents" matches, so everyone can experience playing in Inner Mongolia. This also applies to accompanying minors!
Included/Excluded
Please be advised that when we are creating floorball magic on the other side of the world and in countries with variable prior international floorball experience, changes and unexpected situations are inevitable. 🌍✨ If you expect everything to go smoothly, this tour is not for you. We have learned a lot during the estimated 1,680,000 km travelled and 1,200 nights in hotel for our group and feel that we are well equipped to handle cultural differences and meet the expectations of European floorball enthusiasts, but know that surprises, misunderstandings and last minute adjustments will come! 🌟 Here is a list of what you can and cannot expect:
Included
Not Included
Ground Rules. Important!
The Main Goal is Cultural Exchange
Please note that we are invited guests! We are invited to this hidden gem because the teams over the past two years have behaved well and been fantastic ambassadors for Europe and the sport.
Please note that the use of alcohol, disrespect of organizers, other participants, or the local culture will not be accepted.
If some Europeans would like to participate in coaching less experienced Asian players, that would be cool, but it is not a requirement!