The Kazakhstani men's national ice hockey team is controlled by Kazakhstan Ice Hockey Federation. Kazakhstan is currently ranked 19th in the world. In their first Olympic Games in 1998, the Kazakhs were able to win their preliminary group, surprising many, and would finish the tournament in 8th place. Kazakhstan has 1,800 current players registered in the country (0.01% of its population). Their head coach is Yerlan Sagymbayev.