Cape Town – It’s all systems go for the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) u/18 World Championship taking place at the Ice Station, GrandWest.
Following the success of the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Division II Group B Championship in February, the u/18 matches will take place from Monday, March 13 to Thursday, March 16.
Teams taking part in the u/18 championships include New Zealand, Hong Kong, Thailand, and hosts South Africa.
IIHF vice-president for Europe and Africa, Henrik Bach Nielsen, gave hosts the South Africa two thumbs up at last month’s women’s championships, saying it was unheard of for countries to host three major IIHF tournaments in the same year.
“Once again, we will enjoy the warm hospitality from the South African Ice Hockey Federation, and their skilled team of volunteers.
“I thank our South African friends for their willingness to host another IIHF event,” Nielsen said.
The South African Ice Hockey Federation (SAIHF) in conjunction with GrandWest is playing host to three major international championships in the first quarter of this year, including the women’s world championships in February, the u/18 series and the senior men’s championships in April.
SA Ice Hockey Federation president Jason Cerff extended a warm welcome to all participating teams saying, “The SAIHF wishes all countries participating in this tournament the very best. May we all enjoy the tournament and may the best team win.”
Cerff also expressed his thanks to all the sponsors, including the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape Government, the local organising committee (LOC) and all the volunteers.
“We would like to wish all the players, volunteers and officials a pleasant tournament and look forward to sharing in the celebration of ice hockey in South Africa over the week of the tournament,” he said.
“We would also like to invite our visitors to explore and enjoy our beautiful country and in particular, Cape Town,” Cerff said.
The City said it was proud to be a sponsor.
“Representing one’s country on any level is an honour and the City of Cape Town is proud to play a role in supporting that by providing an enabling environment to ensure that athletes get opportunities to showcase their talents and abilities.
“We welcome the u/18 junior ice-hockey teams to the Mother City. We believe this tournament is a pivotal platform to raise awareness for ice hockey and attracting young players to the sport.
“The City of Cape Town is proud to partner with the Western Province Ice Hockey Association to contribute towards achieving these goals,” said safety and security Mayco member, JP Smith.
Cape Times