The Danish Ice Hockey Association (DIU) and the Latvian Ice Hockey Federation (LHF) have today officially presented a joint bid for the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. The bid was presented for the IIHF Event Committee in Zürich, who will now examine all details of the bid in order to assess if the bid meets all IIHF hosting criteria. The host will be selected at the World Championship in May 2013 during the IIHF Annual Congress in Stockholm.
In the joint bid concept, Denmark will be the main host and Latvia the co-host of the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. Denmark ranks #12 in the current IIHF World Ranking and Latvia #11. Both countries have participated in the World Championship continuously for many years.
A state of the art multi arena, Copenhagen Arena, will host the finals and semifinals as well as 30 preliminary matches. The new and modern Copenhagen Arena is currently under construction and will be finalized in 2015. Denmark will also play host to the IIHF Annual Congress that will be staged during the days of the finals in May 2017. Latvia will host the rest of the preliminary matches and two quarterfinals in Arena Riga.
“Today, Denmark and Latvia have presented a very strong joint bid for the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. Our bid more than meets all criteria, with the most important factor being our two large multi arenas tailor-made for hockey at the highest level. Our event concept is based on outstanding facilities, a strong event organization and a legacy plan that aims to further develop hockey in new markets,” says Henrik Bach Nielsen, DIU President.
The joint bid has full and strong support from the national governments, the national Olympic Committees and the cities of Copenhagen and Riga, the national sport event organization, Sport Event Denmark, and the Latvian Fans’ Organization.
“What we did in 2006, we will do again in 2017: Creating an unforgettable event for the global hockey fans in a passionate hockey nation!,” says Kirovs Lipmans, LHF President.
For more information on the joint Danish and Latvian bid for 2017, please contact:
Contact:
Henrik Bach Nielsen, President, Danish Ice Hockey Association: +45 4046 4785; hnie@stofanet.dk
Kirovs Lipmans, President, Latvian Ice Hockey Federation: lipmans@grindeks.lv